Finding the right guitar amplifier is essential for achieving the tones you both want and need for a specific situation and setup. In this feature I’ll share some tips on how to choose the right amp and we’ll look at a handful of models, with David Gilmour’s tones in mind.
Updated March 2023
So, what do you really need? Are you mostly playing at home? Are you recording or occasionally jamming with a band? Are you playing clubs or bigger venues? Do you want something that can cover a wide range of tones or do you desperately want THAT sound? Strictly plug and play or will you be using pedals?
These are all questions you should be asking yourself before looking for a new amp. Why? Because you can’t force a box of electronics to be something it ain’t.
Large stacks or small combos?
It’s really no point in discussing wattage since there’s a lot more to it than just power. A 20w can very well be louder than a 100w depending on how the amp is designed, what speakers are in it etc.
For a typical bedroom setup, I would say that 5-20w is enough. Most smaller amps these days comes with a built in attenuator, allowing you to dial in a lower wattage and still retain much of the character and tone.
Tubes or transistor?
Whether you should choose a tube amp or not is a matter of taste. One isn’t better than the other. They’re just different.
Tube amps are often favoured for having a more dynamic sound that responds to your playing and guitar, whereas transistor amps offer a more reliable operation and often with very impressive technology that mimics both tubes and effects.
Personally, I’ve always favoured tube amps. It’s just the sound of the music I grew up with and the guitar tones I love. On the other hand, I often record using plugins like AmpliTube. It’s a matter of what I need then and there.
Amps and pedals
Most amps can handle pedals pretty well but pedals and effects can sound very different on different amps. I have no idea how many times I’ve seen the comment “this pedal sounds like shit” and then you see that they’re trying to make a pedal or amp do things it’s not designed to do.
A good rule of thumb is that typical American amps like Fender, has less compression and mid range. These amps will often require overdrive and distortion pedals with more mid range and compression, like a Rat or Tube Screamer.
Typical British amps, like Marshall and Hiwatt, has more compression and mid range, and will often pair better with pedals that has less, like a Big Muff and Boss BD2.
This does NOT mean that you can’t pair a Fender with a Big Muff but at least with David Gilmour’s tones in mind, it won’t sound as smooth, warm and big as with a more mid range oriented amp.
Learn how to choose the right pedals for your amp here.
This gear guide will focus on smaller amps that will suit a bedroom, band practice and smaller clubs. I have played each amp, with guitars and pedals that are typically associated with David Gilmour.
Laney Lionheart
The Lionheart has been one of my favourite amps for the past decade. I’ve used it for practise, stage and it’s probably my most recorded amp. This is British tube tone based on VOX and early Marshall but it’s so much more than that. The fact that this is a single ended Class A tube amp, with a powerful EQ section, allow you to set the amp up for almost any tone. Be it classic Vox chime, Marshall Plexi and clean Fender. Great pedal platform that can handle anything you put in front of it.
Power scaling: yes (on some models)
Laney Cub-Super
I’ve been a huge fan of Laney’s Cub amps for years. These are low wattage tube amps, with incredibly rich and dynamic tones. Typically British, the Cubs sits right between VOX, early Marshall and Hiwatt, depending on how you set them up. The head and cab sound a bit more open with more headroom, while the smaller combos are perfect for practice and bedrooms. The Cubs can handle all types of pedals but they sound awesome in just a plug and play situation too.
Power scaling: yes
Hiwatt Tube Series
This is probably the closest you get to the classic Hiwatt tone, without busting the bank. The Tube Series, and the T40/20 in particular, offer tons of headroom and that unmistakable powerful clean tone that’s perfect for your David Gilmour pedals. A second drive channel allow you to dial in classic Live at Leeds tones and early Marshall.
Power scaling: yes
Boss Katana
Boss’ Katana series took the guitar community by storm a few years back. These are transistor amps with a bunch of built in amp simulations and effects that both sound and feel incredibly authentic. If you’re on a tight budget or simply don’t want to go down the rabbit hole of pedals, then the Katanas are probably your best choice. The amps can handle pedals very well too, which will allow you to expand the tone palette.
Power scaling: yes
Vox AC
Vox might not be typical for David Gilmour but it does’t really get more classic and British than this. The ACs might come off as a bit bright sounding but once you get to learn how the EQ work and start to bring out more mid range and warmth, you can easily take these amps into Hiwatt territory, with a lot of headroom and just a powerful platform for any type of pedals. The 15w is perfect for a bedroom, while the 30w will stand up to almost anything in a band setup.
Power scaling: no
Fender Blues Junior
The Blues Junior is probably one of the best selling amps of all time and with good reason. It’s classic Fender, with a slightly modern touch, making it easier to pair with pedals and getting good tones at bedroom levels. The Blues Jr comes in different variants but swapping the speaker for something a bit darker sounding, like an Eminence Cannabis Rex, can make this amp your best and most valued friend.
Power scaling: no
Feder Hot Rod Deluxe
The Hot Rod Deluxe is more or less a bigger, hot-rodded version of the Blues Jr. It’s got the classic Fender mojo, with a bit more mids and compression, making it easy to pair with a wide range of pedals. Having more wattage compared to the Blues Jr, the Hot Rod, in my opinion, has a more balanced clean and drive character. 40w might be a bit too loud for your bedroom, so this is the perfect rehearsal and club amp.
Power scaling: no
Peavey Classic 30
The Classic 30 is a real workhorse based on Fender tweed era character but with a lot more to offer. I’ve been using this amp for years and it always deliver. Whether I need just a very nice and warm clean tone or a reliable platform for my pedals. The Classic 30 is loud but it’s incredibly good at retaining its tone, mainly mid range, on lower bedroom levels. It’s probably one of the most versatile amps out there that suits almost any style.
Power scaling: no
Did I miss something? Please use the comments field below and share your tips and recommendations!
What pedals would you recommend for the Fender Blues Jr? Thanks.
Check out this feature for some tips.
Hi Bjorn:
Thanks for this huge “labor of love” that is your website. I play in a Floyd tribute band and have replicated DG’s setup pretty closely, with my signal chain running stereo/ dual mono into an A- channel consisting of a T40/20 head and 2×12 cab, and the B channel running into a Motion Sound Pro-144 “Leslie clone”. In my band, there’s talk of using IEMs to keep stage volumes down and getting a good mix. Is there a way to do this while using my pedals, but without the conventional head/cab setup, without having to re-invent the wheel or invest in a new AXEFX/ HELIX type system? Thanks
Thanks for your kind words! You would have to have a preamp. Lining the guitar and pedals won’t do. There are several options but for your pedals you would need a preamp/interface that would allow you to re-amp and simulate the real amp.
Thanks for your quick reply. I am not that familiar with the preamp/ interface “world”. Do you know know any that come close to/ simulate a HiWatt or other similar high clean headroom amp?
Thanks again,
Sanjeev
I haven’t tried any of the modellers enough to say.
Hi Bjorn,
I’ve been following your channel for about 7 years now and have really gained immense knowledge, all thanks to you. I’ve been a vox Ac10c1 user and want to switch over to a better amp for David Gilmour tones. I’ve got 2 questions in connection with you write-up on Amps
1) Why is Marshall amp not featuring in the write-up among all other amps?
2) Between a Laney Cub 12r and Marshall DSL1/5cr, which one would you strongly recommend for home Use?
Cheers
Anup
Glad to hear!
1. Marshall works fine for David’s tones but I’ve listed amps that in some way are more similar to what he’s actually used. Between Marshall, I would go for something more vintage sounding, like a JTM. Still, with the right pedals, you could also use JCM and DSL.
2. The Cub. It just works better with pedals.
Hi Bjorn! I think I’ve seen on some of your videos that you have your Lionheart on your amp shelf turned over on it’s face…I’m assuming so you can get to the controls. Ever experience anything adverse from doing that? I need to do something similar with mine. Thanks for all the great info you provide!
Never had any issues with it.
Hi Bjorn.
I’ve been looking into the HiWatt leeds series of amps. The only pedal i have right now is a Boss Super Overdrive. Do you have an opinion on these series of amps? I was going to go with the Leeds 25 or 50 watt. Also, I’m on a budget. I live in the United States. What “Essential” pedals would you suggest for the Momentary Laps Of Reason and later years? And help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much
I’m not familiar with the Leeds series but I would imagine they’re inspired by Pete Townsend’s tones, with less headroom and more gain. For David’s 80s tones, I would go for an overdrive (like Boss BD2), a distortion (like RAT), chorus (like Boss) and a delay. Tht’s your minimum.
Hello Bjorn! Thank you for your fantastic site!
I’ve used a Hiwatt T20 head for almost 15 years, but recently it’s getting more and more unstable. Lots of buzz and hum. Sometimes doesn’t work at all. Now there’s a great chance that i can get a brand new hiwatt t40/20 mk 3 head for a good price, but i’m also consider to save money to buy marshall sv20h. But I afraid it couldn’t make Gilmour tone. Could you please give me a suggestion.
And now I’m using a 112 V30 cab. Do you think its good to get a 212 cab with fane speakers to make a combine for recording? If I do, is nowadays “hiwatt speakers” same as fane speakers?
Buzz and hum can be a number of things. Have you considered it taking it to repair? Might be a capacitor or a faulty tube socket which is easy to fix. There are lots of Fane style speakers out there. Weber, Hi-Tone and Fane. All claim to be the real deal so I guess it’s more a matter of who you trust and how big your pocket book is :) As for the Sv20. It’s a great amp, I have one, but I wouldn’t recommend it for David’s tones.
Hey Bjorn!
As always, I love your site! Do you have any recommendations for gigging specific amps with Gilmour in mind? I currently have a fender Bassbreaker 15, but I worry about headroom at gigging volumes. I’ve never gigged before but am starting a band with friends so am anxious about being unprepared.
Thank you for the help!
PS the gain pedals I have right now are a rams head, bd-2, and keeley dark side for what it’s worth
You can gig with any of the amps I’ve listed here. Which amp you should choose depends on what guitar you have and what sort of venues/capacities you plan on playing in.
Hi Bjorn, I have the chance to buy either a Laney Lionheart L20T-112 or a L5T-112 combo. I am trying to upgrade from my Boss Katana and I wanted to try out a tube amp, so I’ve limited my search down to these two amps. The only thing I am concerned about is I am afraid that with the Laney L5T I won’t get enough headroom, but I want to get an amp that will be quiet enough so that my roommates won’t be bothered, but I also want something that I can grow into and use for a long time. I really like clean tones, and I use a deja vibe pedal and a Fuzzface, and am looking to get a dawner prince boonar. I am trying to play 69-73 era gilmour tones. If you could help suggest an amp to me I would really appreciate it!
The L5 has enough headroom but it’s not a gigging amp, so if you intend to play with a band, I would definitely go for the L20. The L20 is loud but it holds up very well on lower volume too.
I forgot. I use a 1×12 Thiele cabinet with Celestion V30 speakers for the ENGL and a Fender 1×12 cabinet with Scumback M75 speakers for the Superchamp.
Hi Bjorn,
I am more and more interested in the music of David Gilmour and would like to play some songs with my Fender Stratocaster.
I own an ENGL Fireball 25 and a Fender Superchamp X2. Are these amps suitable for this? If so, which one would you prefer?
Thank You.
Best Regards!
Lutz
I guess the Fender would be your best choice but the clean channel on the Engl should do the job too. Check out this feature for some tips on chosing the right pedals for different types of amps.
i have two questions
my first question is about the katana series. which one is the model you suggest, because im seeing models for the katana artist series more and more over normal models.
my second question is what is your opinion on the roland blues cube? if you have played it that is…
I haven’t tried all of the Katana amps but the standard model sounds really great and you have a lot of tone options. I would difinitely recommend one and I guess it comes down to what features you’re looking for.
Hi Bjorn,
Would a celestion creamback be an ideal speaker for a Laney L5 or do you think one of the other celestions works more ideally with that amp?
Thanks!
I think the Celestion G12H 70 really compliments the otherwise fairly dark sounding amp. It has a nice upper mid range. I’m also using V30s a lot for more of that Marshall tone, which goes really well with the drive channel particularly.
Bonjour Bjorn
Hello Bjorn
I would like to change the 2 speakers on my fender princeton chorus stereo 2*25 watt combo amp.
I find the sound bland and really not good for reproducing fuzz.
Which loudspeaker would you recommend? It’s for playing either at home, or in rehearsal or on stage but with pick-up with a microphone.
I’m using a Moeer Ge300 pedalboard, and the sounds I’ve programmed are very close to the sounds I get with pedals. (because I also have a gilmour pedal with muff tube driver colorsound and cornish)
thank you for your advice
I was thinking of the celestion VT Junior: reasonable price and its frequency response curve is quite flat: what do you think?
thank you
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Hello bjorn i confirm the celestion vt jr 10’ is a good choice
Neutral
The sound with headphones a compare with the speaker is quite the same
Hello bjorn
I would like to change the speakers in my 1994 fender Princeton chorus combo amp. 2×25 watt.
Which speaker would you recommend? It’s for playing at home but I also want enough output to play at home as well as in rehearsal or on stage with a microphone.
The size of the speakers is 10″.
Thanks for your advice
I don’t have much experience with changing Fender speakers. There are lots of resources out there, suggesting different speakers for different amps. Try a search. Good luck!
Let’s say I only feel good enough to own a Monoprice Stage Right 15 amp. What overdrive and delay pedals would you start with for 90’s+ sounds? Thank you for awesome content.
What pickups do you have?
It’s my first electric (Gretsch Synchromatic Sparkle Jet) and I believe it contains what is referred to as gretchbuckers… reverb.com/item/49612122-gretsch-synchromatic-2010-blue-sparkle
Stage Right offer some amazing sounding tube amps for the price. I do think they shine the most when you use them for their overdrive and distortion but you can get some OK clean tones as well as a pedal platform. In any case, it’s a great amp for practice and bedroom.
Hi Bjorn, I have a fender blues junior tweed version amplifier with Jensen C12N speaker. I replaced the stock valves with mullard reissues. I’m very undecided whether to replace the speaker because it doesn’t seem very suitable for Gilmour’s sound. I would like to put a Celestion speaker like Greenback or Creamback.
what would you advise me?
Thank you
I don’t have much experience with this but there are lots of information on this and charts on how different speakers sound with the Blues Jr. I had a Jr with a Cannabis Rex speaker in it which sounded really nice.
thanks for the advice.
one last question:
Could the FANE ASCENSION F70 speaker also be good for my amplifier?
Thank you
I haven’t tried that but I think what most people, including myself when I had one, are looking for is a darker and warmer sounding speaker to compensate for the otherwise bright sounding amp.
Hi Bjorn
I just followed your advice and bought a Laney Lionheart l5t-112. My amp setting is bright mode. Mids 12:00, bass 1:00, treble 8:00, tone 1:00 (o’clock). The drive around 8-9:00. Drive volume 9:00. High input
Here’s my pedals
Boss bd2
Ehx rams head big muff
Amp
Moore e lady into the fox loop(it sounds less present and weak)
When I use the big muff into the Laney l5t. It sound quite dark and muffled and muddy. I’m pretty upset. I don’t know how to improve it. I’ve been chasing gilmour sound for a long time. Obviously it’s still not what I want.
Could you give me some advise?
Thanks!
What pickups do you have? What’s the settings on your Green Muff? Do you use it with other pedals? Why are you using the loop on the amp?
I’m also curious about what the specific settings you use on your Lionheart for various Gilmour tones. I just picked up the 20W head version (L20H) and am playing around with it. The tone knob (very sensitive), bright switch, lo or hi input, etc. all seem to make a big difference. I’m using Suhr V60LP single coil pickups and trying to combine with a Vick Audio ’73 Rams Head big muff primarily, but also a Vick Audio ’85 Rat, and a Fulltone OCD.
I usually use the gain channel, with the gain set around 8:30, volume as desired, bass and mids 3:00, treble 8:30 and the tone at 11:00. Bright mode.
Hi Bjorn,
I’m having similar problems with my setup. I have a Laney Lionheart L20T with the 2 12s. Guitar is an American Standard Strat with SSL-5. I’m using a helix for most of my effects. When I use the big muff pedal sim I get the same muffled problem. Mostly on the low E string. I’ve noticed if I turn the sustain down to about 2 it does ok, but still not great. I’ve tried all kinds of settings. I’ve tried clean channel and the drive channel. I’ve tried stacking pedals, EQs and gain boosts. I was going to just buy a real big muff, but after reading this I’m starting to think that might not work either.
Thanks,
Lee
As far as I know, the Helix feature a more modern Big Muffin, that has lots of gain and very little mid range. In any case, it is a modelled Big Muffin that’s only based on the overall flavour of the Muff. The Lionheart can definitely handle Big Muffs, as I’ve done in many of my videos. I’d go for either the EHX Ram’s Head or Green Russian.
Hi Bjorn,
have you seen that Laney has launched a new series of Lionheart Combo amps? I hope they send you one for a review!
Thank you very much for your work on this website, greetings from Berlin.
Cheers! Yes, I think they’re transistor based but they look very promising. I need to make a review of my Lionheart… should have done that years ago.
Hi, Bjorn … I recently purchased the Laney Lionheart Tom Quayle Loudpedal — 60 watt solid state amp pedal, largely for use with headphones in a small apartment. I’d also like the option of a speaker/cabinet. What might be a good speaker for Gilmour tones that would match the 60-watt amp at 8 ohms?
Paul
I haven’t tried the Loudpedal but the Lionheart is a fairly dark amp so I would probably go for a Celestion G12H or V30 of some sort.
Thanks … I actually just purchased an Avatar cabinet with Fane A60 installed. Looking forward to testing it out.
Hi Bjorn, I want to thank you for all your work, time and effort. I would like to share a photo of my pedals with you, but above all ask you if a Blues JR LTD with a Celestion V30 speaker It is a good option and I will be able to get good tones. My pedals are the following:
BOSS ES-5
MXR Dyna Comp Script
Boss CS-2 Comp 1985
BOSS Blues Driver
BK Butler Tube Driver
ProCo RAT 2
EHX Big Muff Ram’s Head
EHX Big Muff Green Russian
MOOER Ensamble King
MXR Phase 90
MXR Univibe
PastFX Elastic Mattress
Dawner Prince Boonar
Earnie Ball VP Jr.
tc-electronic Triple delay
Future Factory Delay
Boss RT 20
Boss Noise Suppressor
Boss Eq GE7
Cheers Gerardo! You shoudl definitely be able to get great tones with your setup. For the Blues Jr I’d probably concentrate on pedals like the BD2 and Rat over the Tube Driver and Muffs.
Did you tried the blackstar st. James EL34?
No, but I’m a huge fan of his tone and that amp sounds just amazing!
How is the Hi-Watt Hi 5 for Gilmour sounds, obviously if paired with the correct pedals
Thanks for your answer! I heard bad opinions about the T20 in terms of quality and bias setting. Is there a better head that you could recommend for 100 people gigs (with PA)? Less than 1100usd
You could go with anything really and each model I’ve presented here is something I recommend for both Gilmour’s tones and most other. I’m a huge fan of the Laney Lionhearts and obviously, you should also look into Fender amps or similar. It’s more a matter of waht pedals you choose to use with the amp.
I just bought a Laney lionheart L20H with the LT212 matching cab. What a difference compared to the Boss Katana.
Better I hope! Congrats!
Hi Bjorn, what’s your opinion about the Marshall JTM Studio ST20 or the Studio Vintage SV20. Could be a better choose than the Hiwatt T20?
Thanks!
They’re loud as F and they don’t have a master. I have the SV20 head myself. Depends on how you’ll be using them. It can be difficult to control the volume but they sound just incredible. Great cleans that can handle all kinds of pedals and the drive tone is spot on classic rock. The Hiwatt T20 might be a better choice though for a more bedroom friendly setup.
Hi Bjorn, i finally decide and bought a Laney L20, so, now, how do you set your amp for a Gilmour tone? Low or High input? clean or drive chanel? Tone, etc etc. Thanks
Congrats! Depending on what pickups I use, I usually use the drive channel, which has a bit more warmth, mid range and compression and, I use the bright mode. Mids 12:00, bass 1:00, treble 8:00, tone 1:00 (o’clock). The drive I usually set at tvery edge of breakup, around 8-9:00 and the volume as desired. As with any tube amp, this one needs a bit of volume to really open up, so somewhere between 11-1:00 is usually where it happens.
Howdy Bjorn! I’ve been doing some research on speakers for my rig. I’m gonna try the Ted Weber FC12 which should be a Fane Crescendo clone. But I was wondering if you had any experience with any Fane clones out there.
Very little. I had a Weber Thames, which were very close to my old Fanes. I know Hi-Tone also have some high priased speakers.
Hi Bjorn,
Forgive me if you have answered a simular question to this before, but I am buying the Laney L5 Stuido for a small bedroom set up. Ideally I would like to buy the matching cab, but I am a bit restricted on space, and looking for a smaller, more budget friendly cab!!
Would a Laney Cub cab 112 with a HH speaker be a suitable option (maybe be upgrade the speaker later if required). Or Harley Benton have a cab that comes with either a Celestion G12 Greenback or a G12 Creamback speaker.
What would you consider would my best option/ match? I lean towards playing more ambient/shoegaze style guitar, and I would really value your opinion.
Thanks,
Ian
There is the combo version of the L5 as well as a good alternative. I guess you can use any type of cabinet for the head and although I haven’t experimented that much with different speakers I think the Lionhearts sound best with some brighter sounding speakers, like the Celestion G12H.
Been playing a lot of Floyd using. a Marshall tsl 2000 rebiased and with two power tubes taken out to make it 50 watts. Great clean channel, a dirt channel and a heavy overdrive channel, each with separate Eqs. Playing through an ampeg 4×12 with vintage 30s. makes getting a wide variety of tones pretty simple. Run everything through a Roland Space Echo. Great tone.
You stated for Cub8 that while it is a great amp, it doesn’t handle Gilmour pedals well. Would this also apply if I use it with a Laney LT212 cab? Which pedal(s) would you recommend to compensate for the lack of gain and eq knobs?
The cab would only make it sound louder. Perhaps less boxy. I would go for something versatile, like a Rat style distortion pedal, a Boss BD2 for overdrive and a delay. That should get you started.
Hi Bjorn i am about to buy a new or used amp. A new Laney Lionheart 20 112 or a used Laney vc30 212. What do you think in terms of gilmour tones? price? the vc30 (used) is u$ -190 than the Lionheart (new). Thank you for yuor inspiration on chasing that beatiful tone
I’ve never been a huge fan of the AC30 so if you ask me, I’d absolutely gor for the Lionheart. It does have a Vox character but the overall tone, EQ section ets is, IMO, much more versatile. Kind of a mix between a Vox AC and Marshall JTM -early British tones.
Hi Bjorn ! Would you say that the Lionheart L5t (5watts) is versatile as the 20 w ?
Thanks,
For a bedroom, yes. For stage and rehearsal I’d go for the L20.
Thank you !
Hi Bjorn ! thank you so much for all the well detailed explanation on Amps. I’ve had a Princeton Reverb Amp with a cannabis rex speaker and i find that the amp is very high in treble and sparkly-bright. I then decided to order a Lionheart L5T-112. The reason for my choice is that the L20T is too powerfull for my bedroom. My question for you is, in your opinion, do you think the L5T will be as effective and versatile compared to the 20T ?
many thanks
Hm, the Cannabis Rex should fit the Princeton and make it sound considerably darker. Anyway, yes, the L5 is perfect for bedrooms. Very versatile and a grea pedal platform.
Hi Bjorn,
What is your opinion about the Weber Thames speaker and the “Starfinder” DG12A from Rawson Sparfield?
My amp is a HIWATT 50 Signature Series head.
In your experience what is your favorite speaker that you have tested that will be the most faithful to the David tone?
Thanks
I really don’t have much experience with different brands. My old Sound City cab had Fane Crescendo speakers and I used Weber Thames for years, which were dead on those Fanes. Now I mainly use Celestions and the G12H Anniversary in particular. Mainly because I’m more into Marshall tones than Hiwatt these days but the G12H combines a bit of that Fane sound with creamy Celestions.
… I’m testing the Weber Thames 80w and even after hours playing I still don’t like it. It sounds very bad with any big muff, it is very dark and the the highs sounds unfocused and thin, very unpleasant. I don’t know if it’s worth waiting more time with this speaker, I don’t think it will get any better than this.
How was your initial experience with these speakers? How they sounded when new?
OK, this is always difficult because it comes down to taste and your expectations. Fanes are dark and they have a larger magnet, which means that to really open up the tone you need to push them really hard. They’re not the best speakers if you want something bright for your bedroom. Having said that, you also need to break them in. They will open up with a few hour of playing. Just like new tubes. Keep in mind too, and I’m sure you are aware of this, amp and pedal settings should be set based on the gear you have, how you use it and where. Don’t set everything up like David does on a huge stadium and expect it to sound like that. It won’t. Don’t freak out if you need to use drastically different settings than him to obtain the tones you want. I would be a bit more patient and see how everything sounds with more tweaking, experimenting and perhaps 4-6 months of having the speakers settle in (depending on how often you play).
Hi Bjorne,
I’m thinking about upgrading the stock G12E-50 in my Laney 2×12 cabinet (Laney cub 15W head). What would you recommend?
Thank you for all you’ve done and continue to do for us Gilmourians!
Peter
Hi Peter! I would probably go for V30s or something similar. They’re not that different from the Rockets but much more character and tone. The G12H are also great. A bit more upper mids, which takes them closer to a Fane.
Hey Bjorn. I have a Vox AC10, and I am struggling to find a good, fat drive tone while keeping the cleans clear and bright. What settings/eq would you recommend? Thank you in advance
The AC10 is a smaller amp obviously and having that typical Vox chime, it can be tricky to get fat overdriven sounds from this amp. It doesn’t have a mids control but the amp has plenty of mids if you roll back the treble considerably. I would keep the gain as high as possible without getting distortion, bass up, treble down and the master volume as desired. Get an overdrive pedal that fits the amp, like a Boss BD2, EHX Crayon, Past FX TDY or similar.
Thank you! I will try that with my Boss BD-2
Hi Bjorn,
I took a look at your “Hey, Hey, Rise Up” section, at which one can see a picture of David doing an interview for the BBC and besides him, in his home studio, there’s a (Fender??) normal-sized combo amp with a little amp on top. Do you recognize which amp that is? I’m just curious. What do you think David uses this for? Practising, or maybe he uses it to record with as well, given he used a little Super Champ as well on A Momentary Lapse Of Reason?
Greetz! :D
That’s an old Fender Champ tweed. Hard to tell how he’s using it. Practice, a certain tone for recording…?
Thanks! ;)
Bjorn, thank you so much for what you do. The depth and specifics you go to on all this is just amazing! This amp idea may be a little out there, but I recently purchased a EVH 5150 15-watt that power cycles down to 1-watt, strictly a bedroom player. What do you think of using this a Ram’s Head BIg Muff, Blues Driver, e-Lady for The Wall tones? I’m still working on what delay pedals I want.
Thanks for your kind words! I’m not that familiar with the EVH but from what I understand it’s based on the old Marshall Plexi amps Eddie used but but with a more American flavour. Brighter and less mid range. I might be wrong but if so, I don’t think it’s the best amp for fuzz and Big Muffs. Especially on bedroom levels where the mid range and compression is often compromised. See this feature for some tips on chosing the right pedals for different types of amps.
Hey Bjorn!
Huge thanks for all your work, came across some great gear thanks to your recommendations!
In regards to the Laney Lionheart: I’m looking to buy one and I’m deciding between the 20 watt head and the 50 watt head. Would you recommend one over the other for Gilmour tones? Or does it make no difference and the 50w is just louder?
Thank you ahead of time!
Thanks for your kind words! Depends on how you’ll be using the amp. The L20 is loud and fits everything from a bedroom to rehearsal, recording and clubs. The 50w is probably way too loud for anything less than a bigger stage.
Hi Bjorn – thank you for all you do! I’m looking for a new amp for home use I was wondering if you had any experience with the Hiwatt Hi-5? Otherwise I’m also looking at either the Laney Supercub (12 watt head), and the Laney L5 studio, do you have a preference? I mainly go for Division Bell – Gdansk tones, but early stuff in the mix too :) thanks in advance!
I haven’t tried the Hi5 but based on the reviews I’ve seen it seems to capture the Hiwatt tone for bedrooms in particular and it should be able to handle most pedals. The SuperCub is a great sounding all-round amp, while the Lionheart series IMO is the most versatile. Either for pedals or as a plug-and-play kind of amp. I don’t think you can go wrong with either of these amps.
Hi Bjorn! I’m thinking of getting a vox MV50 for david gilmour tones, what do you think is the best for gilmour-type tones? Clean, AC, or Boutique? I found the Boutique pretty nice for early david gilmour tones tbh. Which of these three will be the closest to the HIWATT sound? Thanks!
I haven’t tried the MV50 so I really can’t tell. Based on a couple of vids I’ve seen I would say that the AC appears to the the most versatile but I guess that depends on the guitar, pickups and what pedals you throw in front of it. You can also used an EQ, like the Boss GE7, and boost the upper mid range to get closer to a Hiwatt.
Hey Bjorn, im thinking about getting my first tube amp and im kind of thinking about the Blues Junior IV so my question is does a big muff or fuzz face work well with this amp? I have a Rams Head Big Muff and a Germanium Fuzz Face. And do i need to do some modifications to the amp or does it sound gilmourish right out the box? Thank You!
Not the best amp for fuzz and Muff pedals. At least not for Gilmour’s tones. Check out this feature with some tips on getting the right pedals for different types of amps.
Hello Bjorn, I’ve noticed you haven’t mentioned Orange amps anywhere, would you use one similarly to a Vox or Marshall? I have a Orange Crush 20w that I am trying to dial in.
Also, how should I setup my Boss BF-3 flanger to replicate The Wall era sound?
Thanks in advance, Bjorn.
I don’t have that much experience with Orange but to my ears they tend to sound better for classic rock and rock rather than the typical Gilmour tones and platform. I don’t have a BF3 so I can’t give you any settings.
Ok, thank you.
Hi Bjorn,
First of all, thank you VERY MUCH for your amazing work.
I am the lead guitarist in a Pink Floyd tribute band from France, and your site (and YouTube channel btw) was my bible. It guided me to buy my amp and all my pedalboard stuff, and I’m very proud and happy with my sound, thanks to you.
Now there’s my question : I have the privilege to own a Hiwatt Custom SA-212 from 1974. I use it on stage and the sound is marvellous. But it’s in mono. And I dream about a stereo set up, with two amps.
In my situation, which second amp would you buy to build a stereo setup ?
The old Hiwatt sound is so pure that I’d like to have a second one from that era, but they are so rare and so expensive… And maybe it could be cool to mix the Hiwatt sound with another amp, did you try that ?
Last question : if I buy a amp head, which cab would you advise ? I have a 4×12 cab, but with V30 designed for big metal sound, not sure if it’s appropriate…
Thank you for your time Bjorn, and keep the good work !
Thanks for your kind words! This all comes down to preference and taste I guess. David often mix his Hiwatts with Fender tweeds, like a Bassman, which creates a contrast to the bright mids oriented Hiwatt. I’m not a fan of stereo setups so I haven’t experiemented that much with it. The old Bassman Silverface head is also a great companion to a Hiwatt. Very warm, slightly compressed and lots of character.
Fane speakers has a lot of headroom but they can also be a bit dark. Between the Celestions I would go for the G12H. A bit more punch and a nice presence.
Hi Bjorn,
Do you plan to test the latest Crazy Tube Circuits Hi Power? (Hiwatt + Colorsound Power Boost)
Maybe you could add an “Amp in a Box” section here with it and your previous demo from Thorpy FX’s Scarlet Tunic
Thanks!
Fab
Certainly! If they send me one.
Hi Bjorn,
Does a Boss Katana 100w pair well with a BK Tube Driver and a Big Muff Rams Head?
Best,
Daniel
Yes, I can’t tell you what channel or settings to use but my experience with these amps is that they’re capable of handling most pedals with the right setup. Keep in mind though that both the Tube Driver and Big Muff were designed to be used with tube amps, or at least with tube amps in mind. A more versatile option would perhaps to go for a EHX Green Russian, which is similar to the Ram’s Head but the increased mid range, makes it easier to set up. For overdrive I would also consider a Boss BD2 or EHX Crayon for Tuibe Driver tones.
Hi Bjorn,
Love your site and youtube channel! really interesting stuff (and great playing).
I have a Marshall JCM800 2205 and a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. The marshall doesn’t get much use at the moment as it’s crazy loud.
For the hot rod, would you recommend stacking a big muff with an overdrive like a tubescreamer after it for DG sounds, due to the mids issue you mention about fenders? I’ve got a little big muff at the mo, but looking at the green russian reissue.
And for the marshall am I good to go with big muff straight in?
Thanks!
Paul
Thanks for your kind words! The Marshall is fairly bright but roll back the treble, presence and mids a bit and it cna handle Big Muffs and other typical Gilmour effects very well. The HRD needs a bit of mids push. The Green Russian is probably your best choice but I wouldn’t use a Tube Screamer with it. Too muddy. Try a Boss BD2.
Strange, I tried twice to reply to your comment, Bjorn, but it seems it didn’t get posted, so I’ll just make a new comment continuing the Roland JC discussion. Another amp that interests me is the Marshall Origin 20c (or 50c possibly, I’ve heard it sounds better but it might be a bit too much): since Marshalls and Hiwatts have supposedly a relatively similar EQ, and most of my other favorite guitar players besides Gilmour (Jeff Beck, Billy Gibbons, etc) play Marshalls, I thought it might be a good idea to swap my Vox AC10 for some vintage Marshall amp. What do you think?
All comments are held for approval :) I’ve replied to your Marhsall Origin comment below.
Ah sorry, It finally got through now! Thank you very much :)
Hey Bjorn! Andy here again (the one that you very graciously provided EXCELLENT recommendations for my Boss RT-20 and PastFX Elastic Mattress) and I’m here under the “amps” section of your page with something else that I find quite interesting.
I’ve been offered the chance to buy an Alembic F-2B preamp in perfect working condition through a private seller who has one at a reasonable price. And it’s at a time that’s fairly convenient for me because I’m about to convert my rig into a rack-mounted, controller based rig.
My question for you, Bjorn, since I’ve always been a sucker for the Live ‘80-‘81 Wall tour tones: How do you think David would’ve utilized his preamps during this era? As far as settings go, what was the overall concept in employing this device?
I love your insights and that you’re a total Gilmour fanatic like me and, as always, your recommendations have helped me carve out my own sound through Gilmour’s methodology of stacking various effects to achieve a greater overall tone. You’re a huge influence in our band here in the States as you’ve helped me build and refine my sound just as much as my guitar technician, who actually performs my modifications on my gear. So I can’t thank you enough!
Cheers, my friend! Wishing you nothing but the best these days!
Thanks for your very kind words Andy! The Alembic is pretty much a Fender Dual Showman preamp. It has high headroom and a warm and dynamic tone. Many change the tubes for even more headroom. David used, and still does, the Alembic as a preamp for the Yamaha RA200 rotary cabinets. He’s also used it as a preamp for his Hiwatts. What it does, is adding a bit of that Fender flavour to an otherwise very British mid range oriented rig. Everything sounds a bit smoother and warmer. Although not entirely the same, the Effectrode Fire Bootle is similar and you can place this between your pickups and the pedalboard, for a bit of the same effect.
G’day, I’m just wondering what amp settings would be best suited for a Peavey classic 30 for mid 80s gilmour tones? My setup is a Squier classic vibe strat with fender gen 4 noiseless pickups into a Boss CS-3, Boss HM-2, Mxr Timmy or Boss BD-2w, and HX effects with a Boss CE-3 in the loop of the HX for a more mild chorus effect.
Cheers from Australia.
Amp settings are always hard to suggest because it depends on so much more than just the pedals alone. I would start with using the clean channel and a fairly neutral EQ setting, with all three controls around noon. Perhaps the treble rolled back a bit. Hear how that sound with the guitar alone. Make adjustments to match your pickups and then add pedals and hear how they react. You might need to adjust their settings too.
Hey Bjorn! I hope this finds you well. Regarding amps, you listed the Boss Katana as a solid state option for Gilmour tones, which got me thinking: would the Roland Jazz Chorus be a good alternative? And why/why not? Thanks
IMO not really. The Roland has a lot of headroom and it’s quite bright which doesn’t go that well with the more vintage flavoured pedals that David’s using – including fuzz and Muffs. You could though use more versatile pedals for similar sounds, like the Rat for distortion and the Boss BD2 for overdrive.
Thank you! On a different note, would a Marshall Origin 20C be suitable for Gilmour tones instead of a Hiwatt? I like players such as Jeff Beck and Billy Gibbons as well, and I always liked the idea of having a Marshall, so I think it would be more suited for me
Yes I think so. Especially when you want to cover other artists as well. It’s a fairly bright amp though but it goes well with pedals.
I see. Thank you! On a different note, would you say a Marshall Origin 20c/50c would be appropriate for Gilmour tones? Being a Marshall amp, the EQ is relatively similar to that of a Hiwatt (which I can’t even find here in Portugal), and the origin in particular is regarded by many as both a great pedal platform and a great Plexi style amp, which interests me, since Gilmour is pretty much one of the only guitar players I’m inspired by that is not associated with the Marshall SLP. I always loved the tone of vintage Marshalls, but most of them are not really appropriate for bedroom settings (cranking the volume is out of question), and most people seem to not really consider pedals for them. If not the Marshall Origin, do you recommend other Marshall amps that might fit the bill? Thank you once again
Hi Bjorn here in Argentina I can find the Hiwatt T10 combo, the Lionheart 5 or 20 and the cob super 12 in combo too. Lionheart cost a lot more than the cub, does it sound a that much better than the cub. Which of those 3 would you choose?
I would go for the Lionheart 20. Just a fantastic amp and very easy to use with pedals as well. It depends on what you’re looking for and how you’ll be using the amp. 20w might be a bit too much for bedroom but perfect for a band situation.
Hi Bjorn! I managed to get a mint lionheart 20 combo and so far i appreciate it a lot.
Which settings do you recommend for a gilmour tone? I plan to use the clean channel as pedal platform… I noticed its a little darker than my previous hotrod but the Muff sounds really pretty :)
Congrats! I usually use the drive channel for pedals. It has a bit more mids and presence compared to the clean channel. These settings works for both chanels.
Bright, drive 2, volume as desired, bass 7, middle 7, treble 3, tone 6. You might need to adjust depending to pickups etc.
Thank you so much!! i will set it like that and see what happens :)
Hi Bjorn,
Thanks for sharing all your research and experience, I am a Gilmour fan but also very much interested in Syd Barrett’s sound, and the early Gilmour tones. In terms of trying to get Selmer amp tones, what do you think? there is little access to Selmer here in the US. I’ve heard its like a combination of Vox and Marshall? any boutique clones out there, or maybe a way to shape EQ?
thanks,
Jonathan
Check out the review I did of the Scarlet Tunic Selmer style pre-amp. Spot on!
Hi Bjorn.
Do you have experiences with hiwatt T5?As I think T20 may be too loud for home use.And is there any other low-watt amp that you recommend for home use to get Gilmour’s tones?
Thanks!
I thiink the Tube series are great and well worth checking out. 5w is more than enough for playing at home. At lower bedroom levels you start to lose the character of the amp, so it doesn’t matter as much what amp you use really. I would go for something with a focus on the mid range though to avoid any thin fizzy tones. Hiwatt, Marshall, Laney Lionheart…
Hi there Bjorn.
I’m thinking of buying a Boss Katana Mkii 2×12.
Any comments on how it would probably sound with a Tube Driver?
Or a Ram’s Head Big Muff?
Does it takes compressors well? Like the Effectrode PC-2A?
Thanks!
I haven’t these pedals in particular with the amp but it can handle pedals very well.
How does the Katana compare to a Fender Frontman/Fender Champion amp for Gilmour tones?
The Katana is more of a platform, with several amp models and effects built into it for you to choose. The Frontman and Champion are great for classic Fender tones but as an overal versatile amp, that also can handle pedals, I would go for the Catana. Now, you could also look into something like a Fender Blues Jr, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe or Laney Lionheart if that’s within your budget.
Hi Bjorn, thank you again for your superb sharing, there’s not another site like this!
I note you categorise Hiwatts and Marshall amps as a similar mid-boost category, and when I look at sub-£1000 budget there are 3 options for Marshall tube combos.
– origin 20 or 40 (60s sound)
-SC20 (80s JCM800 sound)
-DSL 20 or 40 (90s sound)
So I guess any of them would work for Gilmour tones with the right pedals, but would you recommend one over the other?
Where can you buy Hiwatt?
I found a site but it feels a bit ropey:
https://britampco.co.uk/hiwatt/shop/details/HW-TB-2010-MKIII-1X12C-OCT100-12-BLACK.html
This combo is apparently only $750?!
Appreciate the advice thanks! :)
Hud
Thanks for your kind words! I guess you could go for any of these Marshall amps. It depends on what pickups and pedals you use. The JCM probably has the less Hiwatt tone, while the Origin and SV20 is closer to a Hiwatt. Kind of a mix between a Fender Bassman and Hiwatt. I also strongly recommend the Laney Lionheart range. You can dial in classic Marshall, AC30 and close to Hiwatt. And they’re excellent pedal platforms.
Hello Bjorn, I’ve been following your blog for years, thank you for all the valuable content :)
I was wondering if you could give me a suggestion for an amp. I’m looking for a tube head with very good cleans and a lot of headroom, and that takes pedals very well.
Considering my budget and the used market in my area, my options at the moment would be a Hiwatt T40 MKI, or a Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 36.
If you had to make a choice between the two, which one would you lean towards?
Thank you in advance for your input :)
Thanks for your kind words! I would go for the Hiwatt. The H&K is a great amp but more of a rock plug n play kind of amp. I also strongly recommend the Laney Lionheart amps. Great pedal platforms.
Thanks a lot! I will check the Laney too :)
I’m curious if you are – or would consider – expanding the scope of your “gear” reviews to start including virtual platforms? I see in this page you use AmpliTube – I also use AmpliTube and have also been using Softube’s AmpRoom. I’d be very interested in hearing more about how you achieve various tones by decade / album using completely virtual gear: AmpliTube, SoftTube, GuitarRig, Basis, and other plugins like Pulsar Audio’s Echorec, PSP L’otary2, etc. Thanks!
I use Amplitube for recording but I’m not experienced with any of the others other than having tried them briefly.
Bjorn, are you okay?
For those who use pedals, do you recommend leaving the amp at the breakup limit or as clean as possible? Should the amplifier gain be lower and the master higher, or the other way around?
If you can, please give me a tip on how to set up a Blues Junior and a Hot Rod.
Thanks!
Depends on what tones you want and how that amp blends with your pedals. I like to keep the amps clean but with just a hint of breakup when you hit the strings really hard. You can do that with tube amps, as the tube reachs dynamically to how hard it’s driven. Set the gain/channel volume/preamp as high as you can, while retaining the headroom, and set the master as to how loud you want to play. The higher the master, the more headroom/clean tone you get.
THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION, THE TONES I’M LOOKING FOR ARE FROM THE PULSE.
Hey Bjorn! Been reading your guides for years and wanted to ask for some “amp” advice. Current setup is one guitar with emg dg20 and another with 57/62 customs, running into dynacomp, Vick 73 rams head, mooer king chorus and tc nova delay. My “amp” is a line 6 hx stomp since my setup needs to be silent and I record straight to my computer. I am using their Hiwatt model and blending with their fender Bassman model. The issue I’m coming against right now is getting the big muff to pair well, and I saw you mentioned amplitube. Do you have any suggestions to try and mix my pedals with the modeler? Thanks!
It’s tricky because you’re feeding pedals into a digital platform with different impedance etc. The biggest issue is too much gain so you need to keep the gain on the amp, input stage and other simulated pedals low. I can’t be more presice than that really.
Bjorn,
I happened across a Reeves Custom 50 for a steal. I’ve been playing with it a bit and am kinda curious on how you set yours. I’ve got the Vintage Purples in it as well, but linked/unliked there’s just something missing with the correct guitar.
Depends on what pickups you use but I usually link the lower bright and upper normal, with the guitar into the upper bright. Normal 1:00, bright 10:00, bass 1:00, mids 1:00, presence 10:00 and the master needs to be above 8:00 to really open up the amp. Depending on how you’re speakers are voiced and playing in, you may need to adjust the treble and presence for more or less brightness.
Hi Bjorn
I looking for a good platform pedal amp to play home.
I like to play everything, blues, rock, metal etc.
My existing amp is the Marshall MG CFX 30
My guitar is Fender stratocaster standard USA & in a few days I finish my project a brand new Les Paul
My pedals:
-Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
-Octave Micropog El.Harmonix
-Joyo Tremolo
-Chorus Small Clone El.Harmonix
-Boss Digital Delay DD-7
-Vox Duel Overdrive Coolthron tube technology
-Boss Turbo Distortion DS-2
-Nano Metal Muff El.Harmonix
-Boost Wampler DB+ & Buffer
-Boos RC-30 Loop Station
Your opinion on these amps which I like and am looking at getting one:
-Marshall DSL series
-Marshall JTM.2023
-Marshall Jubilee 2525H
-Fender Blues Junior iv
-Katana 50mk2 or Artist
-Laney ??Lionheart l5 studio Head
Who do you think is more flexible in what I want?
Many thanks ?
I’m a huge fan of the Lionhearts. Great platforms and for straight plug and play. You can’t go wrong with teh Blues Jr but it can often sound a bit too bright for some higher gain pedals. The Marshall Jubilee is a monster, with a surprisingly great sounding clean channel.
The ultimate amp unless you’re playing a stadium has to be the Hiwatt “Little Rig” 20w x .5w. They are about $2,500 in the states and I know that’s a lot but they are hand wired in England and free shipping. The exciting news is that, like Electro-Harmonix, Hiwatt is making a comeback! Only boutique clones and creaky over priced vintage Hiwatts have been available here for years. Save up for this one!!
Per Bjorn’s recommendations above, I have a Hiwatt T40/20 and it’s an unbelievable amplifier for the price. My other amp is a Marshall Super Lead 100w Plexi and I’m honestly debating selling it to pay for a Hiwatt DR103. I’m a complete Hiwatt convert now that I have one. I don’t know where these amps have been during the 18 years I’ve been playing the guitar, but I’m just glad I discovered them when I did.
Hi where do you buy your Hiwatts?
I’m located in London
Cheers
Hi, Would you choose a Laney Cub over a Boss Katana if you were only planning on playing at home? Maybe using it for a jam every now and again?
Depends on what tones and features you want. Both are fantastic amps. The Cub is a stripped down tube amp that probably require a few pedals if that’s what ypou’re looking for. The Katana has lots of sounds built into it. Personally I’d go for the Cub as I do prefer a tube amp but you can’t really go wrong with either of them.
I woul change the speaker in the Laney, to a weber Thames, sounds much better. You can also change out the tubes, as the stock are ok, but not great.
Hello there Björn!
Great site, awesome info etc
Like your videos on youtube reviewing pedals :)
I recently bought me a Marshall SC20H with a 2×12 cab (celestion seventy 80s) Is it any good for Gilmour tones? Descent cleans? for a good pedal platform? I am an all eater and like different stuff like Zz Top, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Early Slash, Pink Floyd, Scorpions, Europe, Clapton etc so did not want to limit myself and bust my bank on a Hiwatt T20/40 with fane speaker cab.
Have some pedals like Green russian,
Maxxon Rod 880, Mooer Black Secret, Boss SD1, Delay, Reverb and so on.
I am a late starter in my guitar journey and still learning about amps and pedals, just picked up the guitar about 2 years ago…
Johan // Sweden
Hi Johan, the SC20 is, as you know, a JCM800. It’s a bit too bright sounding for my taste and comprared to a Hiwatt but you should be able to tame that high end and maybe even roll back the mids a bit and get a very usable Gilmour sound. I’d set it clean and use pedals that has less mid range, to compliment the tone of the amp. The Green Russuan, DS1 etc will go very well with the amp. The Black Secret Rat clone might be a bit too much.
Tack för svar Björn!
Will try to tweak some this weekend when i come home. Maybe in the future i will go for the Hiwatt T40/20 head or the combo and hang on to the Marshall for more rock stuff..
Ha det gott
Hi Bjorn,
Would you recommend the tweed or black blues jr? Thanks!
Do they have different speakers? I would have to look up the specs. I think the stock black model is a bit too bright so if the tweed ate aimed towards the old tweed era Fenders, then you’ll get a slightly warmer tone with more mids.
Hi Bjorn,
I’m looking into getting a hiwatt T40/20. I see that the 2×12 combo version of the amp comes loaded with fane fhg-12-150 speakers for around $1000-$1200. Alternatively I could buy the T40/20 head for $800 and build a 2×12 (or 1×12) cab loaded with weber thames for $150 each (plus the price of the empty cab). Do you know how close the fhg-12 speakers are to the original fane crescendo? Would it be worth the extra $200 to get a separate weber loaded cab?
Thanks!
I guess you would have to do an A/B test to tell. I haven’t studied the specs on the stock speakers but they sounded good. I’ve used Weber Thames for years and they’re spot on the crescendos that I had earlier.
Hi Bjorn, what do you think of the Hiwatt Higain 50 combo? can it replace my old and exhausted fender hotrod? I couldn’t find many demos of it online … anyway thank you for your massive work and volume of infos that you kindly provide !!
These are more modern voiced amps, with more gain as the name implies. The clean channel has that Hiwatt headroom though so they’re well worth checking out. Both as a pedal platform and a modern higher gain amp.
Thank you again, i will try this higain 50 with my pedals so i’ll get an idea
By the way, if you had to choose between an used higain 50 and a new t40 (both combos) for roughly the same price what would you pick right off the bat?
T40.
thank you Bjorn you’re the best ;)
And what about the T20 Bjorn?
Yes, the Tube Series will provide that classic Hiwatt tone.
Hi Bjorn
I know you are a fan of the Laney Cub 12, but have you been able to try the updated Laney Super Cub 12?
The Super Cub came out to rave reviews, but recently I have seen other reviews claiming that it does not have as much clean headroom as its predecessor, and is a much darker sounding amp.
Thanks
I don’t hear much difference between the two. The Super has a boost and the distortion sound smoother but there’s lots of headroom there too with the right settings.
Hi there Bjorn,
I’m Daniel, from Brazil. My pedalboard is complete and full with great pedals, seeking Gilmour tones, from Dark Side to Rattle That Lock. (BK Butler Tube Driver, Boss BD2, Strymon Volante, Good Vibes, Big Muff, Phase 90, etc.)
I’m yet to upgrade my small practice combo amp. It already gives me a really good DG tone for what it’s worth, but since i’ll form a Pink Floyd tribute band and hit the stage in the near future in small venues, I need a bigger/better amp.
Options are limited in Brazil, Hiwatt heads are hard to come by. So I wanted to know if you would recommend me to buy an amp like the Fender Champion 100 (solid state) as a pedal platform for Gilmour tones. Also, what do you know/think about the Maxwatt series from Hiwatt? Are they worth? I heard they’re are built in China and i’ve seen some bad reviews.
Thanks!
The Maxwatt doesn’t really sound like a Hiwatt. Very generic and more a modern crunchy amp. I’m not that familiar with the Champion 100 but I would imagine that the Tube Driver and Muff would sound very bright and perhaps a bit harsh with it. I might be wrong. The Hot Rod Deluxe might be a better choice and I’d also look into the Boss Katana range.
Do you think that I would have this same issue of the Tube Driver and Muff sounding too harsh and bright when using the Laney Lionheart shown in this page?
Also, I found a used T40/20 Hiwatt head on the internet afterall, in Brazil. Yet it was made in China. Should I be concerned with that regarding its sound and components?
I would need a cab too. From what I heard and searched, Hiwatt heads are best paired with Fanes and don’t usually go well with Celestions.
The Lionheart is one of my favourite amps and it can handle any type of pedal very well. It’s a versatile amp in its own right without pedals, with a great clean channel and drive channel. The Hiwatt Tube Series are great. Obviously, as the price reflects, these are not the same as the Custom range, but the tone is definitely there and well worth checking out. Hiwatts goes well with celestions but it depends on what tones you want.
Hi Bjorn
Do you know if the new Laney Supergroup (LANEY LA100SM) is similar to the Lionheart you like so much? Would it be good for Gilmourish tones?
Thanks!
Not really. The Supergroup has a much more vintage flavour, although the Lionheart certainly has a vintage vibe too. It has a unique tone but I guess I’d place it somewhere between a Hiwatt and a Plexi. The Lionheart is closer to an AC30 and being a class A amp, it’s much less compressed.
Can you share some tips on home studio setup, or point me in the right direction? I would like to know what kind of DAW you use, for example. I know this is not really an “amp” question, but I am sure that there are other music folk on here that aspire to follow in your footsteps a bit, like myself!
I have a very simple home studio setup but you don’t really need much more. I’ve recorded vocals, acoustic instruments and keyboards for all my albums with this setup. I’m using Apple’s Logic, with a bunch of 3rd party plugins, including Amplitube for guitar. Universal Audio interface, a couple of good mices but nothing overly expensive, a pair of monitor speakers and a decent headset.
I have to admit that I’m falling down the “which DAW is right for me” rabbit hole. I’m on PC, and I use a Scarlett 2i2 interface which comes with Ableton Lite and a 3 month trial of Pro Tools. I also have Magix Music Maker which I have used for recording in the past, and a trial to Acid Pro 11. I also have downloaded Cakewalk, and was actually impressed with how quickly I ended up sounding decent having not used their software since, oh… 1997.
I did OK recording with MMM in the past, but no one else is using it, and when I read anything about MMM (or Acid Pro, even), it sounds like maybe this DAW is written off as amateurish. It does seem geared to people that want to make “beats” and EDM, rather than actual musicians.
For plug ins, I have Amplitude 5 CS which is very limited, but the basics are there and the sound is great with the little bit of options included in the free package. What package of Amplitude do you have? I would like to tap into tones along the lines of yours.
MMM came with Vandal amp modeling, and those sounds seem to be pretty good, as well. But! No one else is using this, it seems.
I have a midi and plenty of guitars, including my black strat, and pedals/amps along the lines of your recommendations here. One thing I’m lacking: drums! I’d like to know of any recommendations you have for that.
I really haven’t experimented that much with DAWs. Been using Logic for probably 15 years now.
I use Amplitube 4, with a few additions from Custom Shop. It’s OK for demos and I do use some of the tracks for recording but 90% of my guitars are recorded in a studio, micing amps with pedals etc.
As for drums I’ve always used the drummer feature in Logic for demos.
I use a marshall studio vintage, it can definitely get close to gilmour, but can also get close to hendrix and page type tones. and honestly I think hiwatts sound a bit bland in comparison to a marshall plexi. marshall plexis have a bit of a clang when you turn the presence up. It can still do stuff a hiwatt can, but can also sound better than a hiwatt. also, much cheaper and easier to find than the hiwatt “little rig” which is probably the most similar. and the marshall uses el34 tubes rather than el84. I suggest as a great all round tube amp. I have an eq in the effects loop with all the eq and the volume down, then also have it at 5 watts. but at that stage it’s very manigable, and thats me using a 2×12 cab
I’d suggest the Marshall origin series as well. I really enjoy mine, and it’s fairly versatile and plenty of headroom and midrange. Can be had pretty cheap, too.
Hi Bjorn, :)
You know what would be really great? If you’d somehow find out which microphones David used on all of the albums he’s played on with PF, solo; etc. I’ve been trying to find out which mics he used on his cabs for Animals, The Wall; etc and can’t figure it out. Maybe you could? I think it’s important, because the microphones used on his cabinets are also a really important part of his sound, right?
Anyway, thanks for this glorious website!
Greetings, Wilmer
Absolutely. Mics and mic placements are crucial for the tones. I have listed some mics in the album guides but I’m sure it’s possible to do deeper research.
Great site! Really informative notwithstanding what type of music you are playing (or trying to play in my case). I am in the market for a new amp, and since I need to really be able to control volume, I have been intrigued with some of the recent developments in amps that use DSP to model just one specific vintage amp vs a modeling amp with multiple voices + effects. Have you had the opportunity to audition any of the Fender Tone Master series amps or Universal Audio’s 3 new guitar pedals?
No I haven’t really. The Deluxe Reverb Tonemaster is really good and worth checking out but again, I have very little experience with these.
I had a Deluxe Reverb Tone Master, and it was a good amp, but I felt overpriced for what is essentially a modeling amp that only models one amp.
Hello,
Fantastic site.
I do have BOSS KATANA ARTIST AMP.
No matter what wattage I chose when connect pedals specially Nano Big Muff it makes constant disturbing hum and noise .
Is it a right amp?
if yes, how can I use it in a right way.
I am an amateur guitar player.
How does the amp sound without any pedals? The Big Muff has A LOT of gain, so it is a noisy pedal by nature. What kind of pickups do you use? Where is your amp placed?
It sounds great.
I have Stratocaster American Ultra with noiseless pickups.
My amp is located in my small library
OK, so it sounds to me like you’re just experiencing the nature of the Big Muff. It is a very noisy pedal, with a lot of gain and low end, making it hiss and hum. Be careful with the amount of gain and try to turn away from the amp when the pedal is engaged.
Hey Bjorn,
Thanks for the site, great stuff. Hey you said above that if you got the Laney cub you would get the stack for more headroom. Does this mean that you feel that the combo does not have enough headroom for floyd stuff like diamond?
Thanks Bjorn,
The combo has less headroom and more of a boxy tone.
Hey Bjorn,
First off thanks for the site. Can’t tell you for us who love floyd how great what you do is. So I am looking for a bedroom tube amp for floyd, but I’m trying to find one with a headphone jack. Any ideas what that could be? Maybe a blackstar ht-1? Thanks for you’re thoughts.
Thanks for your kind words Todd! I’m a huge fan of the Laney Lionheart series. Great sounding tube amps and versatile pedal platforms. The Lionheart Studio has output for headphones as well.
Hello Bjorn love your work.
I have a fender twin, Hiwatt t20 and Marshall sv20. Want to run wet dry wet rig. Not sure which all to run dry the marshall or hiwatt. Your thoughts please. Also how can run the same volume (power) when splitting the wet cable to two amps. Thanks so much. “The jon show inc” on youtube.
from ny usa.
There’s really no definit answer to this. Depends on what tones you want and what sounds good to your ears. I would use the Hiwatt and Marshall but that’s my taste. I don’t have much experience with a dry/wet setup but the Hiwatt and Marshall have a fairly similar tone, at least when set clean, so the amos should be set up with the same volume. You can also experiment with attenuating one of the amps for a different sound.
Thanks so much for your input. I was thinking of the hiwatt and Marshall also but the fender twin has so much clean headroom for wet effects. I was also thinking the one that breaks up first get the dry signal.
Hi, im between buying a Fender Super Reverb or Twin Reverb, which one would you recommend for a Gilmour tone?
The Twin has more headroom and overall a more pristine clean tone. Great pedal platform but it lack some mid range so you might experience that Big Muffs and fuzz sound brighter than the typical Gilmour sounds. The 65 Super Reverb has a bit more mid range and more breakup. Perhaps better for blues and classic rock but also a great pedal platform.
hi bjorn,
is there big difference between the t20 head tube series and the t20 mkIII ?
because i cant find any original t20 head.
or do you have any other thoughts on low wattage hiwatt amps ?
geetings, Tim
Hi Bjorn, i am looking forward to buy a hiwatt t20 HD. But the only amp i can find is the t20 mkIII. It uses the same tubes, but has it the same sound ? I have read in the comment section that u did not play the mkiii. Maybe someone else has a good comparison on that vor you played it now ?!
I hope someone can give me a review on that.
Greetings, Tim :)
Tim, I haven’t played the MkIII but from what I can read it’s the same amp with minor updates. The T series are really great amps with the classic DR Hiwatt tone.
Thanks Bjorn luv your info.
Just purchased the Marshall sv20h with sv212 cab and a Tele.
Not gilmour amp but want to use for playing animals tones. Can you recommend a light od pedal that’ll compliment the Marshall amp. Such as for the dogs solo sounds. Was thinking the strymon riverside but don’t want too much dirt.
Your thoughts please.
Thanks.
Jon s.
I just recently bought the SV20 head myself. Awesome amp! The Riverside is very similar to a Tube Screamer, which is great as a boost but not as a stand alone overdrive on a clean(ish) amp. In my opinion at least. For the SV20 I’d look into a more transparent overdrive, like a Boss BD2 or a Tube Driver. The TDY from Past FX works really well with the SV20. It can also handle Big Muffs very well. The EHX Green Russian, which has a bit less gain, works really well but you need to set the amp as clean as you can get it otherwise it will be all over the place with a Muff.
Hello Bjorn, have you had any experience with a 5E3 tweed style amp? I just bought one, and while I know it’s likely not the ideal amp for trying to obtain Gilmour tones, I’m wondering about any opinions for pedal recommendations. I’m using it mostly at home, with an Eric Johnson Strat and a Fryette Power Station for attenuation.
I think it’s definitely good for Gilmour tones but you have to treat it for what it is. It’s not a Hiwatt. David has been using a wide range of different Fender amps in the studio since the early 70s and mostly different tweeds. These are known for having a slightly darker character, with more mid range and a nice breakup. Depends on what Gilmour tones you want but personally I think that these amps sound best with more vintage pedals, like a great sounding fuzz. It won’t sound as huge and smooth as David’s stadium tones but definitely classic and timeless. For more modern stuff, I’d look into pedals like a Rat, BD2, OCD, Klon, Crayon… pedals with a flat response or a bit of mids.
Hi Bjorn,
Thinking about getting a Classic 30, but just one question. How does a Big Muff sound on them? My guess is it would sound burst with the mids inside the amp, but I wanted your opinion. Thanks!
I’ve used the Classic 30 with Big Muffs many times and it sounds great. It always depends on the amp settings and what pickups you use but there should be no problem using a Muff with the 30. I would go for a milder sounding Muff though, like the Green Russian.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0MybCUawLc
these guys do a lot of Katana sound experiments
Hi Bjorn,
first of all thank you so much for this amazing website, it truly is a bible for any Gilmour fan and/ or guitar player inspired by the legend that Dave is.
I own a Boss Katana 100 Mk2 and was wondering if you have any tips for how to set up the clean channel eq (or the channel eq combined with the parametric eq from the software) to get a Gilmour-type clean sound that can be used as a basis for the fuzz tones (either with real pedals or with the built-in simulations).
Thanks!
Thanks for your kind words Ben! Settings depends on your guitar, pickups and what pedals you use but in general, and for a pedal platform, I would probably use the clean channel and go from there. To me that sounds like a Fender type, so it would be closer to how David would approach a studio setup, rather than live with his Hiwatts. Again, it depends on your overall gear but start with the EQ around noon and you probably want to increase the mids a bit and lower the treble. You usually want the gain slightly lower than the master but that depends on the voicing of the amp too. Thsi is a transistor amp, so you won’t get the natural tube saturation, with higher gain settings but the idea is to have a clean amp, but with a tiny amount of gain blended in. You can also experiment with the other channels and see how clean you can get them, with a hair of gain added.
Hi Bjorn,
thanks very much for your tips!
I play a Squier Strat with Seymour Duncan pickups in an HSS configuration and normally use the Katana on its own, without any pedals.
I will try to use your tips to get to a good sound, thank you for the tips and the very useful guides all over this site!
Hey, Bjorn. I’m probably the millionth person to ask about this, but have you tried the Ceriatone Hey What series? How close do they get to the actual Hiwatt’s tone? “Cause at $1200 US, that’s preeeeeeeetty tempting.
I’ve never tried the Hey What but several of their Marshall clones and they’re impressive. Well worth checking out.
Hi Bjorn. I currnently have a tone king imperial mkii, which has a two channels (lead, with more tweed like tones and a rhythm, based on a blackface tone). So as you said the blackface channel, probably would not take kindly to a fuzz pedals but would you say that if I used an eq pedal to boost the mids that it would help make the fuzz sound better? What about if I used a tubescreamer or another pedal that boosts my mids to get that sound? I dont know too much about how the lead channel is wired and set up so I’m not sure how it would take the fuzz on that one. Thank you.
It’s not that these early Fender amps, or amps that model these, don’t go well with fuzz. It just sounds different compared to a Hiwatt or Marshall with fuzz. Tons of players have recorded with Fender and fuzz but it doesn’t really sound like Gilmour’s tones. An EQ or mids boosted overdrive won’t make a Fender sound like a Hiwatt. There’s much more to it than that. Including the tubes and not least speakers. However, you can certainly compensate to some extent by boosting the mids and upper mids. There are also Big Muffs with built in mids boost. Good luck with your tones!
But what about the tone king imperial specifically. It also has a lead channel that is supposed to be modelled after a tweed circuit but many say it sounds somewhat like a marshall.
I don’t have much experience with the TOne Kings but Fender tweed era amps and early Marhsall have a lot in common.
Thanks Bjorn. Awesome site. Been coming here for years now.
I’ve got a 73 twin reverb. It’s still new to me and just trying to get used to it. I’ve read on here a few times you recommended
them for Gilmore type tones. The cleans are of course fantastic and the head room goes on forever, but it seems rather mid scooped to use with a muff or fuzz face. Any advice?
Ps: I came across a Canadian amp builder that does a hiwatt kit or built amp. It’s based on a the dr103 but redone to be 15 20 or 30 watts (I think the numbers are right). Haven’t tried it, but could be worth a look. Hiwatt tones at bedroom volume.
Trinity amps.
Twin Reverbs are as scooped as amps get. As you point out, the cleans are great and they do work with fuzz and Muffs but it will sound very different to a Hiwatt or Marshall with a Muff. See this feature for tips on choosing the right pedals for different types of amps.
Thanks for the response. Funny you say that. I just re-read that article last night after doing some searching. Read it a while back and forgot about it. Just picked up a used Rat today. No doubt that’ll work better. The muff and fuzz face will stay with my amps that are more mid types.
Thanks for all the work you do!
Thanks Bjorn, your website has benefited me a lot.
I have a question. The fender 65 deluxe reverb I am using does not work well with Bigmuff. I want to buy a clone of hiwatt. But I hesitated between Hiwatt (new), Hi-tone, and Reeves. Which one do you think is closer to 70’S hiwatt?
It’s pretty much those. There are a few more clones out the but I haven’t tried them. The Reeves and Hi-Tone in particular are based on the late 60s and early 70s specs and are considered to be superior to the current Hiwatt line up. If you want something slightly different and perhaps more versatile, then check out the Laney Lionheart. It’s a Vox AC30 meets Marshall JTM but really much more. Lots of headroom and very good with all kinds of pedals. I’ve been using use for years now and do most of the reviews with it.
Hi Bjorn, are you sure about Hiwatts current range? By all accounts I’ve heard that since they were bought out by new owners their quality has been back to gold standard (at least in the custom shop line). I feel like they make terrific amps now but the stigma of the previous owners is hanging around
Well, I said supperior to, and that may have been overstating it. Yes, Hiwatt has been through some bad years and but the current Custom range has been improved. I do think though, that some of the clones out there, and the Reeves and Hi-Tone in particular, sound better. It might be just taste but these amps seem to capture something that I don’t think the current Hiwatt do. More dynamic and responsive and the breakup is smoother. I’m not a technical expert so I can’t tell you how these amps are built and what parts are good and band. I just trust my ears and are very well aware of that sound is subjective. But of course, the current Hiwatt DR103 is a good amp that’s worth checking out.
Hi all,
I’m a bit confused here.
I’m looking for a good amp myself to get the Gilmour tones as close as possible. I posted previously a question on Hiwatt amps.
I’ve got the answer that even the T-serie was a good option.
So I contacted Hiwatt myself and there they gave me the advice to choose for a DR serie instead. If power was not where I was looking for, the Little Rig was the best option. (DR20/0.5) It has the same preamp section als de DR103. Only the power section is much reduced.
Now we are almost 3 months later and my amp is still in backorder. Should be delivered at the end of the month.
Nobody told me something about problems with Hiwatt or to choose for a Reeves or Hi-Tone. I hope this information is wrong, because otherwise this will be a expensive mistake for me!
Once received and tested I will be back with my honest opinion.
None of these amps are wrong. It just depends on what you’re looking for. I often recommend the T-sires as a lower price alternative to the Custom range. They have the tone of the Custom but the Custom are better built and are obvisouly closer to the original late 60s and early 70s models. Depends on your budget. The Little Rig was introduced as a David Gilmour signature amp, which it wasn’t. However, it is a smaller sized lower wattage version of the DR103. The Reeves, Hi-Tone and other clones offer their version of the original Hiwatt. So, all of these amps are great. It depends on your budget.
Hi Bjorn,
After six months of waiting, my DR20/0.5 finally arrived.
I’m playing now for almost 2 months on this amp, so I think this must be enough to give everyone my honest opinion. So here we go….
I bought this amp with a Hiwatt cab but swapped the speakers out for Weber FC12. These should be the best clones for Fane Crescendo speakers.
The sound of this amp is great. It is very close to what I was expecting, it takes pedals very well, but there is also a downside.
If you buy this amp really for bedroom level, then I think this is your best choice. The 0.5W gives you the possibility of having the true sound of the amp as it was playing at much higher power.
If you want to use this amp for a gig in a small to medium club, than this amp fails in comparison to other 20W amps. This amp is not giving the loudness of my other 20W amps and the power section is going to quick in breakup, which is a problem for David Gilmour solo’s. If I Put my Gibson with P90’s directly into the amp with full volume on the guitar, you get already breakup with the poweramp setting a 9 ‘o clock. A Hiwatt should have a lot of headroom and this is not the case for this amp.
This is a expensive amp and is close in price with the DR504. I personally think it’s a better choice to buy a DR504 and use a attenuator.
Hello,
I’m sorry in advance cause I’m gonna ask the same question that a lot of us asked here.
I’m looking for Comfortably Numb 2nd solo sound.
I have :
Amp :
– VOX Valvetronix AD120VT
– VOX Little Night Train
– BLACKSTAR JJN 20
– Marshall DFX30.
Guitars :
– FENDER Strat Mexico
– GIBSON Les Paul Traditional (unchambered)
Gears :
– BOSS CS-2 Compressor Sustain
– BOSS Blues Driver BD-2
– BOSS DD-3 Japan Delay
– Mig Muff Ram’s head
– EHX Neo Mistress flanger
– EHX Small Clone chorus
I can’t manage to gt the sound…
If any of you or Bjorn has an idea for a setting ? I’d be forever thankful.
Thanks a lot,
Thomas
Hi Thomas, as you know, Dvaid used a Hiwatt and a rams’s head Big Muff on that track. There was also a Yamaha RA200 rotating speaker cabinet mixed in with the Hiwatt. For both solos, he used his Black Strat, which at the time featured a DiMarzio FS1 bridge pickup for higher output. David usually plays loud, which adds to the mid ranhe and compression of the tone. The last solo is also mixed, with additional compression and EQ, as well as a wide reverb, creating the impression of two guitars or a big stereo spread. Although not identical, this setup, featuring a Hiwatt, Strat and Muff is the basis for all live versions of the song.
I’m not that familiar with your amps, but I would imagine that the Blackstar would be the best choice. Set it up for a nice clean tone and I’d use your Strat and the Ram’s Head Big Muff. You might also want to add a bit of delay. The actual settings depends on your amp and how loud you can play. At home I would be careful with the treble and increase the mid range on the amp and maybe the gain on the Big Muff. This should be a start.
Thanks so much for your answer Björn ! :)
I’m going to buy a Hiwatt. I read the T20 Head was really better than the combo (effect loop is not available on the combo) and I now have one more question : which cab would suit it ? Is any Celestion good enough ? Would it be a good idea to use my Vox VT as a cab ? Or is there a specific speaker needed to get closer to the specific sound ?
Is the T10 good too ?
Thanks for your advice.
Thomas
To get the most out of your Hiwatt you really should consider Fane speakers. Hiwatt are offering different cabs and there are several others that make clones, like Weber, Hi-Tone, Reeves etc. Fanes are fairly dark, with a high end roll off and a slight boost in the upper mids, which compliments the Hiwatt amp very well. I’m using Celestion V30, which are considerably brighter but I’m more into Marshall tones, so my Reeves Hiwatt clone is set up differently as to how you’d set a Hiwatt.
Hi Bjorn – thoughts on a Vox AC30 or AC30 S1 for David’s tones? With the fixed midrange is it harder to dial these in to get his sound? Thanks!!
I’m not a huge AC fan but the amps are definitely capable of producing a good platform for your Gilmour tones. As an alternative, check out the Laney Lionheart. The clean channel is very much a AC, but you got a lot more options tonewise.
Hi again Bjorn,
I’m planning to buy a Hiwatt T40/20 head with a HG112 cab to get close to the Gilmour sound.
The cab has a Fane Octapulse speaker on board, but this speaker is for me unknown.
I know that David used Crescendo speakers, but these are a long time out of production.
The only speaker that I can find is a Ascension. They exist in ceramic and alnico version.
Do you know how these speakers (octapulse and different Ascension) sound in comparison with the Crescendo?
What would you prefer?
Thx !
I’m not familiar with the Octapulse but there are several good alternatives to the Crescendos out there, like the Reeves Vintage Purple and the Weber Thames. Both very close to the original fanes.
hi bjorn.do you believe that fender hot rod deluxe iv is a good platform for pink floyd tones? with od pedals like boss bd2.boss sd1.ehx rams head big muff reissue.thank you!!
Absolutely. It’s a fairly bright sounding amp but it has more mids compared to most Fenders, which goes well with your Gilmour tones. You might find that Big Muffs sound a bot too bright with it though. I’d consider the Green Russian reissue for a warmer tone.
Will a Marshall DSL20HR be any good at mimicking David’s guitar tones?
Depends on what pedals you use with it but it’s a good platform for most type of tones.
would you mind sharing how you typically set a peavey classic 30?
Many thanks
That depends on your pickups and pedals. I’d start with the EQs around noon and make the needed adjustments. Set the pre amp to clean but you want a tiny bit of bite and the master depending on loud you want the amp.
Hey, there Bjorn. First I wanted to say how insightful and helpful this site has been! I have a question regarding the Blues Junior as I just bought one. The model I have seems to be an earlier one although I’m not sure how early. Does that change some things? I bought it because I read on here that it has more mid range than most Fender amps, but does it being an older model change that?
The Blues Jr is losely based on the old tweed era Fender amps, which has a hint more mids and compression compared to the later Fender models. The Blues Jr has always been available with different types of speakers, which plays a huge role in the tone. Check out a tone diagram for that specific speaker and you can always replace the speaker later on.
Hey Bjorn,
When I’m looking at your recommendations on amps, I see that a lot of amps aren’t available anymore.
For the moment I’m playing on a Vox AC15, but this amp seems not to be happy with some pedals. Even on the normal channel this amp is breaking up to quick.
I was asking myself if the Hiwatt T40/20 would be a good option? Is there a lot of difference between the Hiwatt Custom amps like the DR103 and the T40/20?
I hope you can give me some advice. THX
Yes, I’m currently updating all of the buyer’s guides. The Hiwatt Tube series are very good. You get the classic Hiwatt tones for a reasonable price. Well worth checking out. If you’re looking for that Vox tone, then I warmly recommend the Laney Lionheart amps. They’re based on the AC amps but IMO are much more versatile and great pedal platforms.
Hi Bjorn. I just purchased the Laney Lion Heart L5-studio. I am blown away with the build and look. Do you have any suggested settings. I play from rock to prof metal (Nightwish, Karnivool, RA) Thx
I use the amp for all kinds of tones, with different settings. Extremely versatile. As a pedal platform, I often use the dirt channel, with the bright on, bass and mids around 3:00, treble around 9:00 and the tone around noone. Gain is set at 8 or 9:00 depending on how hot my pickups are. These settings works very well on the clean channel too although the dirt channel has a bit more mids.
Hey Bjorn! Do most EL34 and EL84 amps that give a clean tone put you in Gilmour land? Is it the tubes that create the mid-hump or mid-scooped sound? Also, have you tried any Mesa/Boogie clean amps for Gilmourish tones?
Tubes are just a small part of the amp’s tone so you can’t look at that alone. You can make any amp fit a Gilmour setup if you know how to set it up and what pedals and pickups that goes with it. Still, a modern Marshall EL34 is very different from a Hiwatt.
Bjorn, I’d like to thank you for this resource you’ve set up. I started playing guitar at age 11 which was around 2007 (I’m 24 now) and have been lurking around here for reviews and tone guides since 2009. Anyways, I have some advice for anyone using muffs and fuzz with scooped amps or at very low volumes. I’ve been messing around with my amps send/return and found that by putting an ehx soul food in the loop with the volume a hair above unity and the drive about edge of breakup, you can get a nice and fat clean tone that makes a better platform for pedals at late night practice volumes. YMMV, but it’s a neat trick I accidentally stumbled upon.
Thanks for the kind words! Great tip! I mentioned that it this bedroom tone tips feature as well.
Hey Bjorn,
what do you think about the Fender Hot Rod Deville 212 IV in comparison to the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe?
Thank you for your answer.
Best regards
Werner
They’re actually quite similar sounding but the Deville got more of that tweed flavour, with a more noticeable mid range and perhaps an overall warmer and more vintage sounding character. Great amps but I think you get more value for the buck with the DeVille.
Hi Bjorn. Great site. I have an odd question. DG has been a huge influence and Pink Floyd my all time fav band. I am looking for an amp that does everything in the the range of blues to modern metal. Maybe asking too much? Not really looking to buy multiple amps and know I will likely sacrifice tone and character for certain genres. I play mostly modern metal and 70s prog rock these days. The one amp that seems to fit the bill in terms of price, wattage, size, options and range/versatility is the Peavey 6505 minihead. I know what type of amp this is and am very aware, this wouldn’t be in any top 10 lists (being generous) for Gilmourish tones. Even mentioning 6505 mh and DG in the same sentence is odd. For me versatility is my # 1 priority to do classic rock to modern metal, but it is still important to be able to achieve a good DG tone. Do you have any experience with trying to dial in a Gilmourish tone with the 6505 mh amp and can it be done? I have a simple pedal board (EHX Green Russian reissue, Boss SD-1, MXR Micro Flanger and Boss DD-3). Many Thanks and keep up the great work.
As you point out, the Peavey 6505 is not your typical Gilmour amp and it’s certainly on the heavier side of gain amps, but the clean channel has that Fender chime, which should allow you to dial in a nice platform for pedals. Seems to be more versatile than the many metal videos out there cover.
Hey Bjorn! I have been using my Peavey classic 20 head for home use but I’ve been finding it’s leaving me unsatisfied with my Gilmour rig (squier strat with emg dg20, cs-3, russian reissue muff, elec lady, flashback? If I were to increase my amp budget and could consider other amps, what would you suggest? I’m not thinking hiwatt price range but maybe a twin reverb reissue or a 59 bassman reissue? Would love to hear suggestions.
Depends on what tones you’re looking for. I think the Peavey Classic amps has a lot of potential but they’re not Hiwatts.
I’m looking for something more versatile. The Peavey classic honestly seems too gainy. Once I turn on a big muff or a blues driver it almost chugs and could be a metal sound. It doesn’t sound bad necessarily but it also isn’t quite Gilmour.
That’s not my experience at all. I think the Classic amps handle pedals and Muffs very well but again, there’s lots more to a tone than just the amp. I’m a big fan of the Laney Lionhearts. Great British style amps, with a nice vintage tone and they can handle pedals very well. Great sounding amps and very versatile.
interesting
I have a peavey classic 30. clean channel stays clean-ish up to 5-6 on the dial,
a drive pedal alone does not make that channel gainy on my amp, only a slight crunch. I use either the Duelist or Spark Booster these days depending on the guitar and what I feel like playing.
A muff, of course, will add gain,
Hello Bjorn, do you know of David ever used a Marshall plexi head?
Pretty sure he used a jtm45 but I’m interested in purchasing the Marshall sv20h plexi.
There was what appears to be an early 70s Super Lead head in his Animals stage rig. I don’t have any information on how it was used.
I am able to purchase any of these amps. I am really liking the Laney LF-Studio or a VOX AC15. They are both about the same price range. Not necessarily looking for the Gilmour sound. Just want a good all around amp for the house. thx.
Both amps will provide great tones. No doubt. Personally I’d go for the Laney. I’ve been using a L20 for years and couldn’t really be happier. The clean channel is based on the Vox AC range, although not quite identical. The dirt channel is close to early Marshall JTMs. The AC15 is classic Vox but my issue with these is that they tend to sound thin and bright on low volume.
Howdy Bjorn!
My Laney Cub died the final death and I’m wanting to find a HiWatt-ish head for both home and small theater sized gigs. Wanting to step it up a little with something I can count on in and outdoors.
I’m using both a 69/69/SSL5 strat and a DG20 strat.
Chain: Guitar>SunFace BC108>Crybaby>Vick 73 Rams Head>Vick Audio Overdriver>MXR Script Phase 90>Mooer ElecLady>Catlinbread Echorec>(amp)>1×12 cab w/Eminence Tonker.
Any specific recommendations?
Thank you!
Spence
There aren’t really that many Hiwatt-ish amps out there. There are lots of clones, like Reeves, Ceriatone and Hi-Tone, but these are quite expensive so it depends on your budget. Personally I can’t really praise the Laney Lionheart enough. Not quite a Hiwatt but a great pedal platform. Clean channel is close to an AC30, while the dirt channel is very much a JTM style Marshall. Very versatile.
Hello Bjorn, thanks for the valuable information. Which pedals of muffs and overdrives wold you use for Boss katana and fender player guitar, all sounds?
The Katana is able to handle pretty much anything. Read through this feature for some tips on what pedals to chose for different types of amps.
Hi Bjorn,
Do you have any experience with the Blackstar HT series? (Specifically the HT20 Mkii) Do you have any options?
It seems like a good competitor for the Laney Cub20. It has power attenuation for bedroom level sound and a range of channel/EQ options for emulating that British sound. It also has a headphone out for when you don’t want to make any noise at all and a USD out for recording to PC.
It takes effects pedals really well from what I can tell. My signal chain is as follows: American Fender Pro ii Strat -> Cry Baby Wah -> Kealey Comp 4 -> Swollen Pickle -> Vick Overdriver -> Dawner Prince Boonar -> MXR Analog Chorus -> Blackstar HT20mkii. (Can’t wait for my Fuzz Face to arrive in the mail!!!)
I was trying to find a Laney Cub20 in my area based on your review but when I played the HT-20mkii I was blown away. I’ve only had it for a few days, but I am really happy with it so far and I thought I’d share with everyone here. I haven’t been able to try it out at higher volumes but it is great if you live in a studio apartment like me and don’t want to upset the neighbors.
-Mark
You seem to have answered your own question :) Yes the HT series are great. Especially for a bedroom setup.
Haha, I suppose I did! Im glad to hear that you have a good opinion on the HTs.
I am mostly a bedroom guitarist and I’ve only owned and played the same two tube amps for 15 years with very few effects pedals until recently. My old amps (Epiphone Valve Jr and Music Man 115 Sixty Five) were both way too loud for my apartment and neither were very good for getting British sounds. I was not sure if the HT20mkII would be a good platform for getting good Gilmourish tones but it is way better than what I was using before.
This article was perfect for helping me find an amp that works for me, thank you so much!
Greetings, so I have a Princeton Reverb 65 RI w/ a Celestion Greenback 10″ speaker in it and wonder what OD or distortion pedal you think works best at lower amp volumes. I am looking for Jimmy Page, to Jeff Beck like tones. Any suggestions? Cheers.
See this feature for some tips on choosing the right pedals for different types of amps.
Thanks. So the OCD would be a good option for a PRRI at lower amp volumes?
Depends on how picky you are but the OCD is a very versatile pedal that will provide great tones on almost any amp and volume.
Greetings from sunny south Florida, Bjorn! What’s your take on the reeves custom 12 for an at home rig? Looking at the 18 watt hi tone as well as I like supporting our US companies here. Not sure if it’s worth the extra 1k, though. Would be great to hear your thoughts.
The Custom 12 is more of a AC30 I think but I might be wrong. I’ve been using a Custom 50 for years now and couldn’t be happier.
Well, I ran into some car troubles so I might try to save myself some cash and get something a bit cheaper. How do you think an older peavey classic 20 combo would take my muffs and sunface?
The Peavey Classic range is great. One of my favourite smaller amps. It can handle pretty much any pedal.
I thought I’d follow up on this.. I ended getting a good deal on a Marshall origin 20 combo. It’s definitely loosely based on the 60s early Marshalls, hence the name. Plenty of headroom, nice midrange. Green Russian, rams head and germanium sunface all sound fantastic. Would definitely recommend it. I imagine it stacks up well against the laney cub series.
Hey Bjorn!
If you had to choose between a Reeves 12 watt ot a HiWatt t20/10, which would you choose.
Although fully capable of providing great Gilmour tones, if that’s what you’re looking for, the Custom 12 is closer to a AC30 than a Hiwatt.
I don`t have mono price. I have Katana 100 and Laney Lionheart 20 Head
Katana ia good amp. It is a really good acoustic amp, and good electric amp. you can find videos online people doing Gilmour tones with Katana. They usually involve using the software and changing EQ and online effect settings which I have not done and have no desire to do.
As good as Katana is out of the box, to me, it is on the bright side of the EQ. I also think that it lacks the touch sensitivity of my Laney Lionheart. It also does not give me the super rich compression that I get when I drive hard the power section of my Lionheart, or even the power section of my Peavey Classic 30 for that matter
Katana takes pedals reasonably well, especially darker sounding pedals. Its onboard effects are good.
it is a good amp and I recommend it as second amp, a beginning amp, or even a jamming amp, but, to me, it is not a replacement for either of my tube amps.
This is just my opinion based on my experience.There are many videos online that may beg to differ.
Hi bjorn, have you heard about the new budget tube amp called Monoprice Stageright 15w tube amp, if so, What do you think? How is it compared with the Boss Katana? How is it compared with the fender Blues Junior? Please answer those 3 questions, thanks.
No I haven’t sorry. Both the Katana and Blues Junior are great sounding amps. I also recommend checking out the Laney Cub series.
I have the Monoprice and use it as a practice amp. It’s decent, particularly for the price considering it’s all tube and has a Celestion speaker. The power scaling feature is also a huge plus I think.
From what I understand the amp is a clone of the Laney Cub 15. Some have said it’s a Blues Jr clone. Either way it’s a good low-budget choice. I’ve never used a Katana so I can’t compare it, but I also have a Blues Jr and while I like the Blues Jr a little more, it was also more than twice the cost of the Monoprice and for the price difference the Monoprice is a really good value. Best of luck with your choice!
Thank you, your comment was really helpful
Bjorn,
I know you personally choose a Reeves. Why not a new Hiwatt? It appears that they went back to making them like they used to in the ’70’s. What was the deciding factor for you?
I’ve had the Reeves for about 10 years now and at the time I bought it, Hiwatt did not make amps like they used to and I think Reeves was the only “clone” out there. It’s just a really well built and great sounding amp. Very happy with it.
Hey Bjorn, a following up on this question from above…..Reeves is making a Custom 50 with PS now. How do you feel about that? If you could buy it again would you get the one with the PS or without? I’m always suspicious of “gimmicky” things and I just wonder if these amp companies with their “power knobs” (I know milkman is doing it now) are just the new “flavor of the month.”
Thoughts?
Depends on how you’ll be using the amp. PS is great if you rely on the amp for overdrive or distortion. However, if yoy’re like me, using pedals for that, then you should be able to dial in a good platform and clean tone, without a PS. I wouldn’t have changed mine if I had the chance.
Hello Bjorn,
I landed on your site by accident, I wanted to know more about the Laney Lionheart L5 studio Head and the Lionheart L20T-212 Combo that I bought in 2019 but never used them.
I was thinking of selling them but after reading many posts and your comments on this website, I have decided to keep them.
It seems that Laney is underrated or a niche brand…I don’t know. Nicely built and dead quiet.
Today I got the chance to try them and I couldn’t believe my ears. I play jazz and fusion stuffs.
The L5 studio is now in the front room. Any suggestions for a 2×10 cab?
Thank you.
Flo Casey
Thanks for visiting my site! I’ve used the L20 head for some years now and it’s definitely one of my favourite amps. Very versatile and great for both pedals and studio use. Laney dates back to the late 60s and although not up there with Marshall and Vox they’re certainly got a lot of heritage. I think the Celestion G12H 75 Anniversary speakers go very well with the amp. They’re bright but compliments the amp very well.
Hey there, have you tried out a Marshall JCM2000 DSL50/100? Would it work for Gilmour? How would you set it up? Cheers.
They’re very versatile amps, with a nice clean channel for your pedals. Hard to suggest any settings – depends on your guitars, pedals and how you’ll be using the amp.
Hello Bjørn. Thanks again for all the good reviews, and info You share.
I’m looking for speaker recommendations for home/ studio use to complete the Gilmour tones.
– Cheers –
Hei Håkon, regner med du er norsk? Tenker du studio monitorer? Hva slags gitar oppsett tenker du å bruke med disse? Lydkort, plugins osv.
Hei, Bjørn, ja det stemmer bra : ) Oppsettet mitt er tradisjonelt med pedalbrett og rørforsterker, lurer på om der er noen høyttaler elementer som utmerker seg til PF sounden. (Fane Crescendo- frekvensgang men til hjemmebruk) Mvh Haakon.
På lavt volum hjemme spiller det nesten liten rolle hva slags elementer du bruker. Jeg har selv brukt Fanes i mange år med ulike rørforsterkere hjemme. De funker greit, men for clean lyder spesielt. Ønsker du mer vreng fra ampen eller bruker attenuators for å få vreng uten volum, bør du velge elementer med mindre watt, f.eks. Celestion 25 eller 30w. Jeg er veldig glad i V30, men disse har en litt speiell nasal overtone som kanskje ikke passer alle. G12H har masse bunn og topp og funker veldig fint på lavt volum. G12M har mye output, men en varm og klassisk tone ikke helt forskjellig fra Fanes. Jeg ville kanskje valgt noe som var litt nøytralt og heller bygget lyden med pedaler. Funker ofte best på lavt volum.
Takk for tilbakemeldingen. : ) Kanskje jeg tester ut en g12m heritage greenback, den har kanskje ikke så «spiky» øvre mellomtone som g12h 70th anniv. elementet jeg har nå.
Hvilke fane høyttaler har du brukt?
Ja, det kan være et godt valg. Jeg har tidligere hatt et Sound City 4×12″ cabinett med originale 1973 Fane Crescendo metal cap elementer. De ble tørre og slitne, så jeg byttet de ut med Weber Thames, som låt nærmest identisk. Nå bruker jeg for det meste lav watt Celestion… litt ulike.
Greetings again Bjorn. I’ve done a bit more research on the Fender Mustang GT amp, and I have to say, I think whoever designed this thing definitely had David Gilmour in mind. There are so many settings and effects that cater to guitarists who are chasing that Gilmour tone. There’s the Hiwatt DR103 amp mod, but that’s just the beginning. There’s also built in clones of the EHX Big Muff, Ram’s Head Big Muff, and Green Russian Big Muff, along with Fuzz Face, Pro Co Rat, Boss DS-1, and Tube Driver. Other effects include flange and chorus, rotary speaker, MXR Phase 90, Uni Vibe, tape delay, digital delay, ping pong delay, multi time delay, MXR Dyna Comp, MXR M-163 Sustain, Cry Baby Wah, and even DigiTech Whammy. That’s whole lot of Gilmour effects, all in one stop. Perfect for people who don’t want to buy a lot of different pedals. The 40 Watt version of the amp is less than $300 ($269 on Amazon) in the US, so I think It’d be perfect for your “Gilmour On A Budget” series, if you ever get a chance to check it out. Anyway, thanks for reading and replying. Have a great day and keep up the amazing work!
This ended my amp hunt, going for the gtx. Thank u.
Hi Bjorn,
will you share your thoughts about Fender Blues Deluxe vs Fender Hot Rod Deluxe?
Both have that classic Fender clean tone and a vintage sounding drive channel. Great pedal platforms too. Not a huge difference between the two. The Blues Deluxe is perhaps a tad darker and fatter sounding.
Hi Bjorn,
I have a question: what would you recommend to get as sort of a “Hiwatt-style” preamp with the same sparkling clean sounds (rack or pedal) to send to the power amp of my Mesa Boogie head? The Boogie cleans are great and serves me fine as a ‘pedal platform’ to run a Big Muff; etc through, but the Boogie clean is more Fender-like and just can’t reproduce the sparkling cleans of a Hiwatt. What would you suggest I get? Preferably a rack preamp or pedal with tubes in which I can stick some pedals in front of and from that “Hiwatt-like” preamp/pedal to my Mesa power amp, bypassing the Mesa preamp?
Thanks so much for this lovely site and all the effort you put into it.
I haven’t explored preamps and rack units enough to really comment on that but I often use rented Mesa amps while touring. You can easily set them up for a nice clean tone with enough mids and an EQ, set to boost the 400-800 range will add presence. I often use pedals with a bit more mids as well, compared to how I would approach a Hiwatt. Not over the top but switch the Tube Driver for an OCD or BD2 etc.
Hey Bjorn, First of all, your a legend for creating this resource, I love it and love your work. I am about to buy a Laney L20 2×12 combo because of the tones you can get with it. I have a question about your pedals and where they go. You mention that you use the amp right on breakup so I am assuming you use delay and such pedals in the effects loop, I have read that this amps has a parallel effects loop so any effects through it have a slight delay when combining back with the dry signal, most have recommended modding the amp to remove this. Is this a problem for you ? do you use the loop anyway ? thanks :)
Thanks for the kind words Matthew! I have all my pedals into the front end of the amp. By slight breakup I mean that I use the drive channel, which is set as clean as I can get it but with enough gain to allow for a bit of hair when you dig into the strings. It’s more of a feel and it depends on how hot the pickups are. I haven’t explored the send/return that much as I’ve always used my amps as a platform for pedals.
HI Bjorn, greetings!
What do you think about the Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 401 Combo? Are you tested it?
Thank you for your attention!
I haven’t tried it. Gave it a quick look at it seems to be a versatile amp although I would assume it’s fairly modern sounding. Depends on what you’re looking for I guess :)
Hi Bjorn!
I’ve been constantly researching the Gilmour tones and was recommended this page From Reddit! Love the info here. I’ve been looking into the Marshall SV20H. Do you (or anyone else here) have experience with this amp? From the demos ive heard and research it seems to be a marshall plexi style amp. I’d love to hear anyones thoughts if this would be a good amp for getting gilmour tones with some tweaking? Thanks!
Apologies for the late reply. Welcome to the site! The SV20H is indeed a Plexi, which isn’t that far off a Hiwatt. More mids and perhaps a brighter tone but definitely a great pedal platform.
Thank you much! One more quick question for you, I think I will be buying either the peavey classic 20 head or the Laney L5, but i have also been seeing youtube videos on the SOVTEK/ehx mig-50 and i think they sound killer! Obviously 50 W is a big loud for my flat, so i wanted your take on attenuators and if it would be worth it to get a power soak for those higher wattage amps at home use volume? thanks!
An attenuator is usually used when you want to use the amp for gain. Obviously a master control on the amp will do much of the same but not quite so an attenuator will allow you to drive the tubes and get the fat tones you want on lower volume. Attenuators are not that effective for clean tones so perhaps a bit redundant, although you probably want to drive the tubes a bit for cleans as well.
I had a chance of getting a used Laney Cub 12r Combo at what I though was steal price and I took it.
I thought of sharing my few days of experience with it.
– hands down plug & play Jazz, Blues, Classic Rock.
– very light compared to other 12″ combo amps I have handled.
– reminds me somewhat of Blues Junior bur without as much much background hiss and buzz noise as blues junior, and with an effects loop that Blues Junior shamefully lacks.
– not a lot of headroom on the pre-amp gain, gets seriusly thick ansd saturated after the 3/4 on the dial.
– less headroom than Blues Junior
– more head room on the power amp, stays fairly clean to 7/8 on the dial
– HH speakers sound on the dark side of good to my ears – I like them
– Could not heavy distortion pedals work with it as the amp’s limited headroom gets eaten up quickly, but low, medium drives and clean boosts work very well
– I tried my Fender Engager boost pedal in the amp’s loop and it helped increase the volume into power amp without having to saturate the preamp — I like what it did for my cleanish sounds
– I can’t imagine this amp being used for hard rock or metal, I think it does not have the headroom for that, but I may be wrong
– I tried my DOD Caracosa fuzz, and had no problem dialing some really nice fuzz sounds. I am still working on how get a muff pedal work on this amp.
– Bjorn’s settings form the head version of the amp were very useful https://www.gilmourish.com/?p=3601
– how does it compare to Laney Lionheart 20? There is no comparison, IMO, Lionheart 20 is beast of sonic versatility. Cub is a cute sweet baby with limited but very sweet sounds. Linonheart has the sounds of the cub, and much more. Yet, for just plug and play, practice, doing some blues or bluesy jazz or bluesy rock, for the price I paid, it’s just unbeatable
Thanks for all the info and hard work you put into the site, Bjorn. I have a question regarding the Fender Mustang GT amp, which is a 100w solid state. I have a 40w Fender Mustang II, which is great, but I’ve been looking to upgrade. The whole Mustang series is built on precise sounding amp modeling. The GT is the new and improved version of my Mustang II. It has a lot of the same amp models built in such as a 57 Deluxe, 59 Bassman, 67 Twin Reverb, etc. What caught my eye on the new GT is that it has a new setting called British Watt, which is their clone of a Hiwatt DR103. Obviously, being a solid state amp and not a tube amp, it won’t sound exactly the same. Have you heard of this British Watt by Fender? If you have, how does it measure up to a real Hiwatt? It’s only around 5 or 600 dollars here in the US, so if it’s a pretty decent clone, it is definitely worth the money for those on a budget. Thanks Bjorn!
Hi Jon, apologies for my late reply. I haven’t tried that amp but the Mustang amps very really good. As for solid states I also recommend the Boss Katana series. As for any modeling, be it amps, pedals or digital, they will never manage to capture the real sound of a real model obviously but you can get close or at least get some of the flavour of those originals. A Fender Twin and Hiwatt isn’t that far apart really. Both of them has a lot of headroom and a fairly bright character althought the Hiwatt has more mid range.
Hi Bjorn,
does Laney Cub need biasing after tube change?
thanks
No.
Hi.I love this website, it has been very helpful to me in creating my tones and sound. I want to thank you. I the person that emailed you that I know the person purchased Davids red strat. I hope all is well. I am presently in a Floyd band and am looking for a good amp. I was thinking about the Hiwatt 50 but I saw an entry on your website saying you would not own a new Hiwatt amp( I would love to know why). Also, I do not want an older period amp, I would like a new one. So I started looking at the Reeves amps. I am really leaning towards the custom 50 as you stated that is very close sounding to Davids Hiwatts. Then I saw the Reeves Space Cowboy. From what I heard, it is pretty close sounding to the custom 50. It has the boost pedal and reverb. I do not know what to do. I am unable to test each out. Can you tell me if you think that the Space Cowboy will be close to the Custom 50 or should I just stick with the custom( I kinda like the reverb option but would give that up for a more authentic sound). I will be, at times, using Davids red strat with the amp. Also, I will be using large pedal board with it. Cornish SS3, Cronish P2, vibe machine, Free the Tone Flight time, Boss CE2(Early One), Origin Effects Cali 76, MXR Phase II(script), Ventilator Two, and E Lady, Also have an Early Civil War Muff, but am currently using the P2 instead. I really appreciate the help. . Thanks again and stay well.
Hi, thanks for your very kind words! Glad you enjoy the site. Sorry for my late reply.
I haven’t tried the Space Cowboy so I can’t really tell. It seems to be a somewhat stripped down version of the Custom 50, with only one channel. It might sound darker than the Custom as you don’t have the option of linking and dialing in the bright channel? I don’t know.
I don’t have any issues with new Hiwatts but I think there are better clones out there, like Reeves and Hi-Tone, that are closer to the original early 70s Hiwatts.
Hi Bjorn
Thank you for the incredible help with you web site. If you have one ultimate choice.
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
Laney Lion Heart
Laney Cub 12
Thank You
Depends on how you’ll be using the amp but since you ask me… The Hot Rod is probably the easiest to set up and most versatile. The Lionheart is IMO hands down the best sounding.
thank you that is exactly the answer I was hoping for. What can you tell me about the special edition of the fender hot rod with a creamback speaker
I haven’t tried that so I can’t tell but I would imagine that it’s a bit darker sounding, which I think compliments the amp.
Hi Bjorn ! I hope you are fine ! Do you think we can find a little Marshall Amp souding good for gilmour tones ? I want to play in my bedroom at low volume :-)
For sure! It’s been a while since I checked out Marshall’s current line but for David’s tones I’d go with something vintage sounding, like a Plexi or the Silver Jubilee combo, which has a power scaling. All of these has a clean tone similar to a Hiwatt and handle pedals very well. The more modern models like the DLS are brighter and perhaps not as fitting for these tones. I also recommend checking out the Laney Lionheart amps. Very versatile AC30 meets Plexi style amps and great pedal platforms.
Hi Bjorn, i am looking for some tips on setting up a Laney cub 12r combo. Using your clean amp setting in tone guides my lunar fuzz sounds fantastic but my P19 and muffs and clones seem a little wooley. Would you suggest using transparent boosts like a BD2 or Soul Food rather than Tube Driver types. And should i run amp with a little break up rather than totally clean. This is at bedroom level with JJ tubes. Great site mate and i am sure the answer is here but i think i am confusing myself now. CHEERS
Hi Paul, the P19 is a bit dark as it’s intended to be the combo of a Muff and boost. You could try to raise the tone on the P19 or add a booster behind it, with unity level, little gain and higher tone pushing the top end a bit. An EQ will also do. I usually prefer a hair of gain from the amp. Not full breakup but that sweetspot between clean and a bit of crunch from the tubes.
Hello Bjorn!
Love the website it’s been my go to website for anything gear for almost ten years.
Got question to ask. I am right now in search for an amp and I was wandering if you have any experience or any opinion for the Laney Cub Supertop.
I see that you recommend the older version but what about the new?
Obviously I have a huge love for everything Pink Floyd/Gilmour and also play in an Alternative/Indie band
What I am searching for is an amp both suitable for home recording but also playing live (we usually play at audiences from 150 to 300 people at clubs)
Also any other recommendation at this price tag will be more than appreciated
Apologies for the late reply. Thanks for your kind words! The Supercubs are very similar to the older models. A few enhancements but mainly estethics. It’s a great pedal platform and studio amp and you can gig with it, although bigger venues might require something louder.
No problem. I ended up buying the Fender Bassbreaker 18/30 Combo. There was a huge discount here in Greece so I got it. A bit loud for home use but love it so far. Very good with pedals as well!! Thanks!!
Hi Bjorn,
Would like to say big big thanks to all that you do, you are truly an inspiration to me, and kind of effort you put in is really amazing.
As i am also big DG fan i need to ask you about big help regarding amp purchase. What would be the right choice do decide between Fender Bassman 59′ reissue with 4×10 Alnico blue (this one is from 1991 ), Hiwatt Custom 50 SA112 with Fane speaker few years old ( and there’s also one SA112 from 1981 with Celestion G12-100 ) or Laney L20T 212. I would really appreciate your help on this subject because i would like to pick best solution of the tree.
Thanks alot and staj safe,
Br,
Simone
Hi Simone, apologies for the late reply. Thanks for your kind words! As you know, David has used both the Bassman and SA212 extensively throughout his carreer so both will apply. Personally, I prefer the SA212. The Laney is a different type of amp. More like a cross between a AC30 and Plexi but definitely a good Gilmour amp and a favourite of mine.
Good day to you bjorn from florida usa anti dictator donald. love your work and your advice very much appreciated.
My question for you is I currently have a Fender Twin Reverb amp at half power run into a celestion v30 12-speaker I also have a high watt T20 amp head I want to run in Stereo or a wet dry rig with both amps. I’m not sure which cabinet to purchase for the hiwatt T20 amp head either the Hi-Tone Eclipse 112 which is very bright or the Marshall 212 cabinet which is darker, which would match my celestion V 30 speaker on the Twin Reverb amp as well.
I don’t want the brightness of the hiwatt into the eclipse cabinet overpowering the Twin Reverb celestion V 30 dark speaker but I prefer the eclipse over the Marshall cabinet what’s your thoughts on that please?
Thank you bjorn.
Rob h
Tough question. The Hiwatt and Fane style speakers is a very good match but it is, as you point out, bright and it can be a challenge on some pedals and even to record. Since you already have a Celestion in your second cab I think I’d go with an equally darker cab for the Hiwatt as well. I’ve been using both V30s and G12Hs with my Reeves/Hiwatt for years and I’m very happy with that. You get the headroom and presence of a Hiwatt and the mid range and tight bottom of a Marshall.
because the hiwatt T20 impedance is at 8 ohms and the Marshall cabinet also is at eight ohms but the Hi-Tone cabinet is at 16 ohms I was leaning towards the Marshall and also due to the brightness of the Hi-Tone I was also lean towards the Marshall and I’m very glad that you’re in that direction as well and appreciate your advice and input thank you very much
Hey Bjorn,
First off, wonderful playing and a great site! Thanks for that!
I would be super glad if you could please recommend me an amp that would suit my current setup. Some context- I only play in spare time and for myself. Having said that, my setup is-
Strat (57 pickups) > Boss CS3 > BYOC Large Beaver > Decimator II (noise reduction) > TC Electronic Flashback 2 Delay > Roland Micro Cube.
I bought the cube first and then the pedals over time. What would you recommend as a good replacement for the cube, with my current setup? I do not like the current sound at all (with the cube). I am looking to buy something that will be apt for my home office room (preferably a low watt amp).
Thanks in advance.
Cheers,
Raj
Depends on your budget but among the lower priced amps, I’d check out a Boss Katana or Roland Blues Cube. If you have a bit more to spend, then check out a Laney Cub or Lionheart. Keep in mind that size does matter. Most amps today, at least the smaller and medium sized ones have power scaling, which allow you to use them at home but I wouldn’t go with anything less than at least one 12″ speaker. You’ll get so much more tone with that and a much better platform for your pedals.
Thanks Bjorn. Will look into the Cub.
All good choices. Would also mention two non-valve choices: Roland Blues Cube Artist and Fender Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb.
Basically, all the modelling firepower used to model a single amp. Former is modelled after a Bassman, latter after, well – a Deluxe Reverb…
Both take pedals convincingly and sound pleasingly authentic. I own the former and gig it with a 13-piece horn band. The latter has only just come about, but has better DI facilities (choice of IR) and can defeat the speaker for a silent stage.
Because of the convenience, reliability and tone of the BCA, the valve amps stay at home.
PS props to the Katana100. My co-guitarist uses one and it’s frigging loud. The tone may not be as warm and pleasing in the room, but onstage in a dense mix it cuts through, which is what you want.
Im interested in buying the Roland blues cube stage. Would you say that’s a good option, with using Keeley dark side. Im also a little interested in the Blackstar HT-20, which one would you prefer?
Hey Bjorn, I’m looking to get a good tube amp around 500$ CAD, second hand, and I’m trying to get a versatile amp, while still being able to mimic the gilmour tone with pedals. Will I still be able to mimic the tone with any clean tube amp. I am considering both the blackstar ht05 and the fender blues jr at the moment. Any comments or reccomendations? Thanks
All of the items listed here will provide a good platform for your Gilmour tones.
Check out the Trinity Triwatt. It is from a Canadian amp maker.
Hi Bjorn,
please forgive my ignorance.
Is Laney 20H cathode bias? does it need biasing job when power tubes are changed? or is just plug and play without needing to worry about the bias?
I could not find the info in the user guide
It’s cathode bias. No re-biasing needed.
Hi Bjorn,
any thoughts on or experience with Kemper you might share?
Very little. Not enough to share anything.
Hey Bjorn, there’s a Studio 10 series from Blackstar that’s been out for over a year now I guess. They’re 10 watts and they come in either 6L6, EL34 and KT88 tubes. Have you tried plugging into any of these amps?
I’m on the fence between this or the Lionheart L5 for bedroom use. Saw a couple yt videos recommending sub 15w tube amps with a master volume like the blues jr for this application and the Blackstar Studio 10s do have this feature.
I’m not sure if the Laney L5 has a master volume though but am I better off with the 10 watt amp with master volume vs a 5 watt amp that has none?
The Blackstar amps sound great and they can handle pretty much any pedal. I do recommend the Laney though… since you ask me. A great sounding amp. Very versatile.
Hey Bjorn! Tried some of the amps mentioned above today. The store didn’t have your beloved Laney L5 on the shelf unfortunately, so was able to compare the hiwatt and the cub12. Liked the cub and tried a couple more low watt blackstar amps in the other store including a 65 princeton ri with a reverb that didn’t work.
The sales rep took another princeton amp out from the stock room, plugged a USA pro tele in and I was in tonal bliss! Went home with both as they gave me a sweet bargain with a free amp stand. I know it’s not the most Gilmourish amp on the list but today was just a pleasant surprise and I was pretty sure I was gonna get the Laney or a Blackstar amp yesterday after watching yt videos.
Cheers Bjorn!
Congrats! The Princeton is a classic and a great sounding amp! You should be able to set it up for some nice Gilmour clean tones and as a platform for your pedals.
Hi Bjorn, what about the new Laney Super-Cube Top amp, is there a significant difference from the original version …?
As always my best wishes to you and thank you for your dedication, knowledge and talent.
I haven’t tried them but the specs looks very similar to the older models. A few upgrades in design and features but I would imagine that they sound very similar. Great practice and bedroom amps.
Thanks again Bjorn for this great article.
I got the HIWATT T20 /10 HD with the matching HG 112 Speaker Cab last Thursday. This is my first ever tube amp and being a David Gilmour admirer it had to be a Hiwatt.
My son has the Katana 100 (MK I) 1×12 and its great, but when he played on the Hiwatt he could notice the warmth in the tone.
We connected a Compressor, Little Big Muff, E-Lady and BOSS ME-80 for the delays in this respective order, and I have to say the Comfortably Numb Solos didn’t sound bad at all.
I am still getting used to this new addition and enjoying the journey so far.
Thanks for the kind words and good luck with your tones!
My 2 cents on the Fender Bassbreaker 15 Combo:
I just got this last Friday because I wanted another amp with a different sound then my Hiwatt T20.
So far it’s great! I would run it in the Mid Gain Stage slightly breaking up and then you can throw almost any pedal in front of it. It takes an OCD and the Green Russian Muff very well f.e. so it needs a bit of a mids hump to sound good overdriven or distorted IMO.
It’s own OD is kinda great too taking it somewhere into almost Marshall-esque territory. It does get a little boxy and compressed on certain settings also with pedals, but it does not sound bad or something.
I also have tested it together with my Hiwatt in Dual and Wet-Dry. Now that sounds cool! They complement each other quite nicely. Comparing the Bassbreaker to the Hiwatt the Hiwatt is still better sounding IMO, more open with more Headroom, but that is a matter of taste I suppose.
Anyway if you’re looking to get the Bassbreaker for Gilmourish tones I would definitely recommend it!
I play my strat through a moded tweed BluesJr (Fromel). Had to change Power Transformer (as I broke it for my fault) I think is a Hammond from TAD. Stock Jensen speaker. VERY, VERY Happy with the clean sound of the amp !!!
On some occasion I tasted playing in stereo along another crap amp I have and it is an other dimension, specially with the stereo output from TC Flashback.
I’m considering building myself another amp and for crazy it may seem, I’m thinking on a 5E3 Tweed Deluxe. I know it is not a clean amp, I already have an EL84 clean amp (BJr) but I think they both could complement each other and give a fuller, richer sound.
Am I crazy ? Which amp could you recomend for playing in stereo along BLues Jr. ?
Bjorn,
I just bought a Laney L5T-112 based on your recommendation (FANTASTIC so far!).
Looking through your answers to other readers asking about what settings you use you’ve been very consistent with one significant change: prior to 2019 you said your preferred settings used the Drive channel but in 2019 you left a comment saying your current settings used the clean channel.
Why did you change? All of the other settings are pretty consistent – what do you like now about the Clean channel?
I’ve had the amp for some years now and I constantly swap pedals and guitars so I guess I change the amp settings to match that. My current pedal platform is the clean channel, bright mode, bass and mids at 3:00, treble 8:30 and the tone around 11:00. I like a hint of break up, so the bass and mids that high will drive the amp together with a fairly high volume.
Thanks for the clarification Bjorn! I also just got on the TD-X bandwagon as of yesterday… HOLY MOLY that pedal sounds great through the Laney! I think it has replaced my Barber Direct Drive on my board as the TD-X covers much of the same ground for me, but with more presence and guts. I do find that the dirty channel on the Laney covers much of that ground as well.
Do you ever use the drive channel on your Lionheart as full-up drive, or just as edge of breakup / pedal platform?
In general the addition of the drive channel on the Laney and the TD-X seem to have left me with many pedals that all cover similar but slightly different ground. The TD-X, the Direct Drive, the Tree of Life and the Gain Changer SR each differ to some degree but do cover much of the same ground. I even find that I like elements of the TD-X, GC and ToL for bluesy edge of breakup tones as well!
Hard decisions ahead I guess!
One final observation: the ToL seems to stack VERY nicely into the TD-X to add just a bit more edge to it while maintaining most of the roundness of the TD-X’s base tone. It comes out as a very nice and very quiet happy medium between the two pedals!
Thanks for all your help!
On stage I always use the amp clean with pedals but I often record using the gain channel for dirt. Just plugging the guitar straight into it. It can do a pretty convicing JTM style distortion, that I use a lot.
I think the TDX and Tree of Life compliments each other perfectly. I mainly use the TDX for overdrive and the ToL for distortion.
I noticed in many of your videos that you have the Level control on the TD-X MUCH higher than I set mine. Mine is at unity around 10 o’clock or so.
At first I assumed that you had it so high so that you can push your amp (overdrove after all, right?) but I kind of don’t understand that when you’re using the clean channel on the Laney…
Any chance you could clarify for me?
If I turn my Level knob up that high into the clean channel on my L5T it is MUCH louder than I want to comfortably play at in my house. Are you just playing loud when you record those videos or am I missing / misunderstanding something?
Still adjusting to the whole “tube amp” thing and not having a master volume like my old solid state amp did, so any wisdom you can pass along is appreciated very much! Thanks!
It’s a matter of taste. Overdrive, distortions, booster, fuzz… all gain pedals respond to how you set them up and the tone, both in the pedal and your amp, change accordingly. When I record, I usually have the pedals set to about unity. To me that makes it easier to record and the pedals often sound more natural, with all the little nuances and harmonics shining through. Live I like a more compressed and boosted tone. I run all my amps at the very edge of breakup, which means that they’re clean but when you dig in really hard on the strings, you get a slight compression coming from the tubes. By having the volume set high on the pedals, I’m boosting the amp further, which makes the tone smoother, with more tube and speaker compression and mid range. Again, it’s just a matter of taste.
Bjorn, great to see your doing the best helping us build The Tone!
To go along with the previous posts. With your help I’ve built a Fun board. My Laney Cub with JJ tubes is run Clean+.After my Compressor I have a Svisound Overzoid+, Buffalo FX PowerBooster, Vick Audio TOL..I use the Overzoid as my Fuzz & the TOL for distortion with the PowerBooster as my OD or additional clean Boost.
Then several ambient FX to follow with a Svsound Echozoid & MXR Phase 95 in the effects loop!
I just added two Source Audio pedals and now have Stereo capabilities.
I can’t thank you enough every time I light everything up and begin to play my set up. I use a program called RiffstationPlus and I can play along with any of my Pink Floyd Albums…
Thanks again.
Stay Safe, Stay Well. ?
Walter H.
Thansk for the kind words! Nice rig you got there!
Although I’m one-tenth the player Bjorn is, with one-one-hundreth the knowledge, I can say that my Laney Lionheart (20w combo) sounds great on either channel at lower volumes. But the drive channel — if you’re trying to keep it clean — doesn’t retain its quality as the amp gets louder. The clean channel, however, does, at least for me. So playing at home in my bedroom it doesn’t really matter which channel I use. But for gigs, it’s always the clean channel. And I use basically the same settings as Bjorn! (Bjorn, by the way, I LOVE my Laney so much… best amp I’ve ever owned. I have you to thank for it.)
Hi Bjorn, heard lots of good review for Boss Katana amp. Can you suggest (or some reference) some settings to get some Gilmour sound to get? amy recommendation/chanel to use/guideline will really help.
I don’t have any presents to share. The Katana is a great sounding amp, with lots of built in Boss effects so you can’t really go wrong. Great platform for your pedals too.
Hi
I know you asked Bjorn, and I assure you that I am a much inferior player than him
but I have had a Katana 100 MKII for quite sometime and I also have a Laney 20 MH
my experience with Katana is that it is a really good amp, especially if I use the on board effects. Using external drives with it has been a hit and miss for me, some of my drives jive with it very well, and some don’t
two drive I have that work well with it are MI Audio Cross Over drive and Wampler Tumnus Deluxe
I have not been able to get a decent fuzz sound out of it with any of my fuzz or muff pedals.
as a second amp, practice amp, or something to take to jam session for anything from country to blues and Jazz and Rock it’s very adequate. There is software that can give you control over frequencies, or you can find patches done by others and load them into the amp. I have not played with any of those. What the amp does if good enough for a variety of genre
The amp has a very acoustic setting which I have been using with my acoustic a lot.
the amp’s power amp can be used on its own, and it’s been fun running pre amp or amp in a box pedals in it for fun
compared to my Laney 20H? it loses hands down. Not responsive, not as versatile, and not as good with pedals.
It was good enough for me to sell my Bugera V22, but not good enough to replace my Laney
there are tons of people playing it over you tube with their suggested settings
Checkout Dave Simpson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy_H6o1Akpc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILAdY9sJvv8
and and Justinguitar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8_9CAlHYpA
there are a lot more
It’s a good amp. but, for, it;s in the same class as Laney.
Hope this was useful
I meant to say that for me, it is not in the same class as Laney
Thanks, That was really helpful. It cannot compete with any Laney :), but good in class of SolidState amp
Hi Bjorn. Have you tried pedals through a Brunetti Singleman? im on the fence between the Brunetti or a Lionheart. Thank you for all your hard work!
Two very different sounding amps I think. The Singleman is a take on the classic Fender, with a bright and fairly scooped tone. Not a lot of compression and mid range going on. Great for those pristine clean tones. The Lionheart is unmistakably British. Kind of a mix between an AC30 and JTM/Plexi Marshall. Personally I prefer the Lionheart but again, two very different amps serving different purposes.
Hello bjorn,
I currently own a 65 fender twin bf run with half power into a cellestion v30 12 speaker. Is there a difference between the twin head and the Bassman head? I heard theyre the same. Only difference is the Jensen speakers and tubes. I want to make my twin sound like Davids bassmen. Is that possible? Thanks. Rob h.
To be honest, I have no idea if the same amp. I haven’t studied the specs. Perhaps they are and the difference is, as you say, the speakers and tubes. My experience though is that a Twin has a very bright and open tone. Tons of headroom and very little compression and mid range. The Bassman head is considerably darker, with more compression and it seems to be better with fuzz and vintage style pedals. I used both for years and definitely liked the Bassman head better. Great amp! As you know, the Bassman combo is a very different amp.
Exactly what you’ve explained I’ve read before as well so I as confused. Now makes more sense. Thank you. I purchased my twin on an impulse buy instead of researching first. Now trying to make my twin sound like what is not. The v-30 helped a lot. Thanks bjorn. love your help.
Cheers!
Hi Bjorn! Your site has been a huge help in my Gilmour chase and also my guitar journey in general. Was hoping you could help me out with choosing an amp to purchase.
As of right now I have a Fender Strat with SSL-5 at the bridge and CS69 middle and neck.
Pedals are Keeley Super Phat Mod BD2 and JHS Muffuletta.
I’ll mostly be playing at home volumes but would love something I could also gig with.
My budget is around $1K.
I have my eye on a 68 Custom Vibrolux but I’m not sure that would be best for Gilmour tones, after re-reading this article, perhaps something like a Peavy would be best as it has a more Hiwatt quality? Would appreciate your guidance here. Im sure you’ve answered this question a million times but with over 2k comments here, it seems a bit daunting…
Thank you so much for your time!
The Vibrolux is a great amp for sure but perhaps not typical for David’s tones. Your pedals will definitely work with the amp but it won’t sound like a Hiwatt or classic Marshall, with that smooth mid range. The Peavey Classic is one of my favourite amps. Great classic tone, very versatile and it can handle just about any pedal you place in front of it.
Hi Bjorn – have you heard of or do you have any experience with the new Hylight brand amps? Looks like they are a reboot of the original Hiwatt line offering some reissues of the Classic Hiwatt models. I’m curious if you know anything about them and what you think about their line up. Thx!
I’ve only played Reeves and Hi-Tone so I can’t tell about these.
They look like a new, smaller outfit but they were at Winter NAMM and they were featured in Premier Guitar in February so I’m sure they start to make waves at some point. I have been considering one of their 50w models, and they look great, but they’re a little pricey, especially with shipping to the US, so I think I am leaning toward a Hi-Tone now.
I suggested to Hylight that they send you one to test so with any luck you’ll have a chance to try one out ?.
Thanks! I doubt they do but who knows!
Hi Bjorn, What do you think of the Hi-Tone’s?
I’m looking at the “Custom Lowatt”, the Reeves 12 and the Hiwatt “Little Rig”. I’m close to pulling the trigger on the Hi-Tone, as the Hiwatt is a lot more expensive, like $500US more!!!
The Reeves seems to be a more gain oriented unit. I was just interested in your thoughts.
This website is fantastic and a constant point of reference whenever I need some information, so thank you Bjorn.
Thanks for you kind words Kim! I have commented on the HiTone amps several times. In short – they’re probably as close as you’ll get to the original early 70s Hiwatts. I’m playing a Reeves Custom 50 myself and couldn’t be happier with it. It’s a true replicate of the original as well. Reeves also has some models that are more in line with early Marshall but the Custom amps are, as the name implies, Hiwatts.
Hi Bjorn,
I’ve been looking at the Peavey Classic 20 mini head, mainly because it has the convenient recording outputs and will be more flexible than the Classic 30. However, that’s leaving me stumped in terms of a cab. The cab options that Peavey have for it are a 1×12 (Celestion Vintage 30) and a 2×12 (Vintage 30 & G12T-75). While my preference is generally for a 2×12, I’m a bit unsure of the G12T-75… while I imagine that they’re trying to create a more balanced sound in combination with the Vintage 30, I just don’t know how that would translate in terms of some of the Gilmour tone ideals, especially as it relates to muff/overdrive. Any thoughts on cab/speaker recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks again for this wonderful website and all you do… as a drummer who picked up guitar as a second instrument, I learned a ton from you through this site, as well as That Pedal Show and JHS’s content. Thanks again,
Colton :)
I think the speakers will compliment each other perfectly and although the V30 can sound a bit dark and narrow on its own, the G12T has a bit more open character, with more sparkle in the upper mid range, which will suit your Gilmour tones nicely too.
I have a Hi-Tone DG 50 and a Peavey Classic 20 with the 112 v30 cab. I can come very close with my Gilmour tones on the Classic 20, to my Hi-tone. Not to mention the 20 is fantastic for practice with my band. I have had a peavey classic 50 410 combo and Head with 212 combo. I like the 20 with vintage 30 much better. I am not sure if it is the v30, but regardless, you will be able to get great Gilmour tones with the 20 at bedroom or much louder volumes. It is a great all around amp. One of my favorite I have ever owned.
Hi Bjorn, great site and great work. What’s your opinion about Egnater Tweaker 15 Head? Is it good for Gilmourish kind of sounding? Thanks in advance. Regards
Thanks! I don’t have much experience with that so I can’t really tell.
Hi there Bjorn, congratulations, great website, I check it very often. I was wondering if you can give me a clue for beginning setting my amp for Gilmour tones, I have a Peavy Classic 50, I do not know if it is better to use the normal channel or the bright channel. I use a black strat replica. Can you recommend a basic setting for this amp to start with? Greetings from Costa Rica.
Thanks for the kind words! Best way to start is by plugging the guitar straight into the amp and get a sense of how the guitar and amp interact. If you intend to use pedals, then set the amp up for a good powerful clean tone and then add the pedals and match these to the amp. See this (old) feature for some setup tips. You’ll also find some pictures of my old Classic 30 that should give you a start. You might want to tweak these to your taste.
Hello Bjorn, any experience with the Reeves CUSTOM 30 1X12 Combo ? There are a few for sale and wanted to know how they are in regard to Gilmore tones.
I haven’t tried it myself but based on the reviews I’ve seen and heard, it’s more of a mix between a classic Hiwatt and the early Marshall JTM/Plexi amps. It’s got the Hiwatt headroom and presence, but a bit of that mid range and grit from the early Marhsalls. In that sense it’s probably a more versatile amp too than the typical Howatt Custom.
Hello Bjorn, here’s hoping you and yours are all safe and well…I for one have spent some More time then usual Playing and learning more during the recent stay at home orders. I and I’m sure Many Thank You for all your knowledge and the time you spend answering our questions and your honest opinions and help.
Based n your recommendations I bought and love my Laney Cub12R combo. It delivers quite the tone and it seems to love my pedals too. In your tone guide you show a picture of the Cub controls for a clean and dirty settings that work very nicely as a staring point. On Your pictures Of the Cub: Are those @ 15 watt or .75 watt input or does it matter? Also did you replace the tubes in your Cub? I replaced the three 12AX7 Pre-Amp tubes with JJ Tubes and have a 5751 gold tip in the V-1. I alternate the V-1 between a 12AX7 JJ and the 5751 JJ depends on my mood for more or less gain or earlier break up. As far as The EL84 power tubes Did you replace them and if so, did you Re-Bias the amp?
I bought two JJ Power tubes but Eurotubes (where I bought the tubes) says I have to Re-Bias the amp and Laney says it’s not really necessary. What did or would you do with the power tubes? Would you replace them with or without biasing the amp?
I don’t have any equipment to Bias any amp…
Please let me know your opinion I value it…
Thanks for all You Do for All of Us…
Walter H.
Thanks for the kind words Walter!
It’s some years since I had my Cub. I traded it for some pedals. I did replace all the stock tubes with same value JJ goldpins. The settings are based on the un-tapped setting but they will apply to the tapped setting as well. You might want to increase the bass and mids a tad on the tapped/scaled down mode but that also depends on your pickups and pedals. I did not rebias the amp. I don’t think you’re meant to but be sure to have match pairs of tubes.
Bjorn, thanks for the reply and information. ?
I hope you got some good pedals for the Cub. I did buy a Matched set of JJ EL84 power tubes to use like you recommended. Do you also recommend using Gold Tip tubes over the standard tip tubes? What do you think the Gold Tips do over the standard for tone or break up?
Stay Safe Stay Well…
Walter H.
I used goldtips beacuse that’s what I’ve always been using and on my bigger amps, I do think it matters. Not so much on a smaller amp at bedroom levels.
Bjorn,
Really enjoy your videos and website. I’m guessing you have no experience with the REVV D20. It seems like a very versatile amp (like the Laney Lionheart L-5). If you have any thoughts on whether it would be good for Gilmour tones, please let me know. Thanks!
No experience with that one I’m afraid. The Lionhearts are awesome though.
Hi Bjoern,
I recently came across the Hiwatt HLR20/0.5 which seems to be build by the Custom Shop in the UK. However, I cannot find any review or info on it apart from the Hiwatt web page which says it is based on the DR103. The possibility to switch between 20 and 0.5 Watt would suit me perfectly but would it bring any signifacant advantage compared to the T20/40 with regards to tone and quality?
Thanks in advance, Juergen
I think this is the rebranded Little D they released a couple of years ago, claiming to be a copy of David Gilmour’s old Hiwatts. I might be mistaken. In any case, I’m sure this is a great alternative to the bigger DR103.
Hi Bjorn
do you have any experience with Laney Ironheart?
No.
Hi Bjorn,
I recently acquired a Yamaha RA-100 (around christmas last year) and a Alembic F-2B (just bought, can’t wait to try it out!!!) and was wondering how David might have had these setup. Do think he had the Alembic running straight into the Yamaha with no modifications to it or bypassing the Yamaha pre-amp? Or do you think he had the Yamaha pre-amp modified/bypassed somehow so the Alembic ran straight into the power amp of the Yamaha (not sure how he could do that but Pete Cornish was a lot smarter than me so who knows)? I know he bypassed the pre-amps on the HiWatts and used the F-2B occasionally into the HiWatts but am not sure about how he might have run the Alembic with the Yamahas. Any other tips and tricks I should know to get these two setup right?
Thanks, Love your website and I watch all your YouTube videos (long time subscriber) hope you are well during the coronavirus nightmare
I’m not an expert on either of these as I’ve never owned them. David used the Alembic in different ways over the years and it’s modified. Read more about the Yamaha here and the Alembic here. I’m sure other Gilmourish readers can provide more information.
Hi I was Wondering if the no uk made hiwatts are any good for the gilmour tone. i really want a hiwatt but cant afford the uk made stuff
Cheers Sam
Depends on the model. What are you considering?
Bjorn, thanks for all of your work in keeping us Gilmour fans up to date. If you could only have one amp, preferably a home amp, what would it be ?
My Laney Lionheart. It’s an incredibly versatile amp, with lovely cleans, a really vintage sounding gain channel and it can take pretty much any pedal you place in front of it.
Just wanted to drop a line recommending you check out the Mesa Fillmore series, based on tweed architecture so it’s got a very pedal friendly clean reminiscent of a 50’s fender amp or Marshall JTM, the gain channel is also a great mix of Mesa Mark 1 and 2 with a little JCM800 spiced into the mix.
Thanks for the tip!
Thinking of choosing one among Hiwatt T5 mkiii (or T20/10), Reeves custom 12PS or Laney Cub12 for bedroom practice … looking for best Hiwatt tone at low volumes. Any suggestions?
Both the Reeves and Hiwatt T5 are overall better amps, both tonewise and build, compared to the Laney. Especially the Reeves. The Reeves is perhaps a bit closer to an early Marshall though but it can definitely deliver some nice clean tones for your pedals. You might also wanto check out the Laney Lionheart amps.
Hi again Bjorn!
I was considering a Laney Cub 12 but might be shifting gears based on your comments above, and looking instead at a Hiwatt T40/20 MkIII. You mentioned that the Tube Series is better than the Hi-Gain and MaxWatt series; looking at the Hiwatt website has me a little confused because it does say that the T40/20 is part of the Tube Series, but on the back of the amp it says MaxWatt. Would you prefer the T40/20 over the Cub 12 for more authentic DG tones?
Would there be much difference between the Hiwatt Hi-Gain 212 cab with Fane FHG12-150 speakers (this appears to be all I can get in the States) compared to a 212 with V30s?
Thanks for all the awesome info on this site and YouTube!!
I think Hiwatt T amps are great for David’s tones. I don’t know how they market them these days but they are not the same amps as the MaxWatt or Hi-Gains.
Hi Bjorn,
I would like to thank you for this website, I always come back here to learn about the gilmour tone.
I just sold my Blues Jr. and will order a Lionheart L20 head. Have a speaker most recomended for this head aiming Gilmour tones?
Thank you!
I think they offer the matching cab with a V30 and a G12H. It’s a nice setup for the amp and it sounds great for most of David’s tones. You could replace these with something bigger and brighter, but the amp is more a mix between an AC30 and Marshall JTm than a Hiwatt, so I definitely recommend the Celestions.
Hi Bjorn! Such a great site you have here, thank you for all the work you’ve put into it.
Another amp your readers may want to consider: the Trinity Triwatt. It’s essentially a replica of the classic Hiwatt preamp, but with a more modest output stage (user choice of 6V6, KT66, or EL34 tubes, for approximately 22, 33 , or 50 watts of output power). You can buy the amps in head or combo format, as either complete amps or as a DIY kit. I built my own from the kit (as I enjoy that kind of thing), into a 1×12 combo cab Trinity built for me.
I can’t speak to how authentic the tones are, as I don’t have anything to compare to. But my experience is consistent with a lot of the general comments I’ve read about Hiwatt amps: very “punchy”/immediate tone, super sensitive to pick dynamics, very usable tone controls, massive clean headroom, great pedal platform. I run mine with 6V6 tubes for the lower power setting. Still very loud for bedroom levels, but easy to get a edge-of-breakup tone in band practice.
No affiliation, other than satisfied customer!
Thanks for the kind words and recommendation!
Hey Bjorn
Thanks a lot for your help, please, i need your advice,
What would be your best choice to gent a gilmour pulse sound between :( only head)
– laney l5 studio
– hugue and k… tubemaster Deluxe 20
– Fender super champ x2
With boss cs2 / dynacomp / russian muff / buffalo tdx / strymon reverb / proco rat
Was looking for shine on / confortably Numb / sorrow tones
Thanks a lot
Since you ask me, I’d go for the Laney.
I saw your video and you used the tubemeister right ?
If you have the time, why would you choose the laney please ?
(I’ve tried to find some video with gilmour tone, but havnt found so much)
That’s not easy to find a good one without trying it… also, if we had the Bassbreaker 15 head in the choice?
I didnt mentionned, but i have EMG DG20 pickup
Thanks you a lot
I have several different amps but I mainly use a Reeves Custom 50, which is a clone of the early 70s Hiwatt and a Laney Lionheart L20 with cab. The Tubemeister is a great amp but the Lionheart is one of the most versatile amps I’ve played. It’s definitely classic British but if you like that you have a versatile amp and a great pedal platform. Check out my YouTube channel and you’ll see me using the amp on several vids.
Thanks a lot for both comment, I’ve found a dealer here to buy HIWATT T20/10, I really hesitate between l5 studio and this one, but i think i prefer the HIWATT
Thanks a lot bjorn, also, what do you think if y a the bass breaker (only the head) I have the DG20 EMG
Thanks a lot
The Bassbreaker is typical Fender, although with a bit more mids and compression.
Nice one Matt! I second this. Another happy scustomer here.
Hey Bjorn, thanks for all the knowledge, it helps us all. So I am thinking of getting a Marshall dsl5 amp. I play Hendrix, Zeppelin, etc….as well as Gilmour. Do you think I can get a good Gilmour tone with this amp? I run all the pedals as well.
Thanks much Sir,
You can get some decent clean tones with it and use it as a platform for pedals but to be honest its much more fitting for Hendrix and Zeppelin than Gilmour. Keep the mids high and the treble low should be a good start.
Hi Bjorn,
do you know the difference between the old Hiwatt T20 HD and the new T20/10 MK III Models? Why are these Tube Series Amps hardly anywhere available? Is the OD channel usable as a standalone drive without pedals?
I haven’t tried the new range so I can’t really tell but based on the specs they seem pretty similar to the old ones.
I have an old T20 HD (about two years old) which I got from Hiwatt in the UK directly shipped to me and yeah as Bjorn said the specs are the same essentially so I assume they sound very similar.
The OD channel is not great in my opinion … maybe I have to fiddle with the controls again to make it sound better but it’s very muddy and dark IMO.
Bjorn,
I have enjoyed this page for many years now, so firstly allow me to say thank you for creating this wealth of a resource. My question is, after having looked through the majority of this thread, do you have any experience or any opinion on the Mesa Boogie Express 5:50? It’s between that or a Lionheart and was just curious as to your thoughts?
Thanks for the kind words! I don’t have much experience with Mesa other than the Rectifiers but while the Lionheart is typically British, like a mix between an AC30 and Plexi, the 5:00, like many Mesa models, is more American and closer to a Fender. More pristine cleans and more headroom I guess but it can handle most pedals too.
Hi! What do you think
getting a Hiwatt HiGain 50 head with cabinet
Or
getting a Fender Bassbreaker head and cab
Wich would work better with big muff? and what do you think about these amps? (about versatility and clean channel) wich one is closer to recreate Gilmour(ish) sounds?
Personally I don’t like the HiGain amps. They doesn’t sound like the old Hiwatts to me so if that’s what you’re looking for then check out the T series instead. Between the two you’re mentioning I’d go for the Bassbreaker but do also check out the Laney Lionheart. Amazingly versatile.
which speakers do you recommend for gilmour tones? I have a Laney Cub 12 combo
Depends on the amp but the Cub sounds really nice with Celestions. Try V30s or G12Ms.
Hi Bjorn – this may be a bit of a redundant question then, but it sounds like my Mesa 212 cab loaded with V30s would pair pretty well with the Cub 15w head? Or do you think it would go better with the Laney 212 Cub cab? As always, thanks for your input and everything you do for this site!
I think it will work nicely.
Hi Bjorn, any chance you can review the new Fender Tone Master amps, I realise they are not great Gilmour amps but I’m intrigued to hear your view on them. A lot of people on here may like to have a Fender style amp as well as their Gilmour style amp. I’ve always wanted a Twin but they are just too powerful, one that you can switch to 1 watt sounds pretty cool.
Thanks, Kim.
Great stuff! I was wondering your thoughts on the Laney LA 3BL. And more specifically can it get me to gilmour tones? You have been so helpful!!
It has a really nice clean tone and it can handle pretty much any pedal. Perhaps not as much headroom as a Hiwatt but still. Tonewise it’s definitely vintage 70s. Something between a Hiwatt and Plexi I guess.
Hi Bjorn, I found this site years ago. I find this site to be very informative. It truly is amazing. I just wanted to let you and the gilmourish community know that I recently went on reverb.com and found what seems to be another brand of amps reproducing the old Dave Reeves era Hiwatt amps. They call themselves Hylight. Check them out.
Hi Bjorn – learning so much from this site, thanks!!
Do you have any experience with Hi-Tone amps? I’m considering a Hi-Tone 50, DG model, but also looking at a Hiwatt SA212 or possibly a Hiwatt T20/40. Just wondering if you’ve had a chance to play through a Hi-Tone and what your preference would be among those three amps I mentioned. Thanks!
Very briefly but enough to tell that they’re great amps and probably as close as you can get to the classic Hiwatts.
Thanks for the quick response Bjorn! Do you feel then that a Hi-Tone would be a better overall option than the Hiwatt T20/40?
Yes.
Hi Björn. Appreciation for your time and knowledge helping us Floydophiles!
2 questions. I’m looking at buying the Hiwatt 20w/.05w Little D amp head. It doesn’t come with the matching WEM Starfinder cabinet? I am looking at the Hi-Tone Eclipse cabinets to mate to it. Would the 1×12 or the 2×12 fit the bill? I have a music studio so I don’t have to worry about volume levels but play over backing tracks through monitors that only go so loud.
I also have a Yamaha RA 200 : ) Could I not just run the Hiwatt Little D into the Yamaha utilizing the bottom 4×12’s? Thanks in advance. Outstanding site!
Thanks for your kind words! I don’t have any experince with the RA200 so I can’t really tell but it depends on how those speakers go with the amp I guess. Personally I prefer at least 2×12″ for the headroom but in a studio setup you really don’t need more than a 1×12″.
Hi Björn, have my hands on a hiwatt cab loaded with hiwatt fanes 122242 speakers. I have no experience. Are they very different to the crescendos?
Useful for Davids Tone?
I don’t have any experience with them.
Hi Bjorn, David is well known for his wem cabs. But he also uses a jcm 800 cab. Is it fitted with G12T or G12M Celestions?
Thanks for all the informations.
The Marshall cabs had G12Ms but he also used G12Ts in his WEMs at one point so the Marshalls could have been modified with the G12Ts. I’m not sure.
Hi Bjorn and everyone! I’ve tryed different amps in the nearest shop and found that I prefer HiWatt T40’s sound. I’ve tryed T10 but beside its big brother it sounded like a toy. There where no T20 to try; I need just one amp for my home and for live concerts (little clubs) but I fear to find a too big difference in sound deep between T20 and T40 having tried T10. What do you think about? Any suggestion?
The T40 will sure sound bigger and perhaps fit gigging better but there isn’t much difference between the T20 and T40. The T10 has a 10″ speaker, which makes all the difference. It’s more of a practice amp.
thank you! I’m wondering another thing: I use just the clean channel and send the signal from the guitar, through the pedalboard to the line in of the amp. I have two old fuzz, an NKT275 and a BC109 so I need a very clean sound from the amp, as the Hiwatt has, but turning up the volume, which is the difference in mainteining a clean sound between a T20 and a T40?
More: I’m speaking about the combo version, hope it’s the same level as the head
Both have lots of headroom. It depends on how you’ll be using the amp. A 20w will be more than enough for home, studio and smaller venues but you might want the 40w if you entend to play loud and bigger venues. I think they all have power scaling though (need to check that) so you can just scale them down at home or in a studio.
Good day Bjorn,
2 questions:
what do you think about the new sound city master lead 50 for a Gilmour sound?
Also what do you think about the kemper?
Thank you in advance
I haven’t tried the new Sound City amps so I can’t tell. If they’re like the old ones, then they should do the job nicely but again, I have no idea. Kemper is fascinating but not for me.
Hi Bjorn,
Laney l5t-112 (combo) vs bassbreaker 15 (combo or stack) ?
Which should I get for Gary Moore /Gilmour tones? Both examples are £300 used.
Which one would future proof me as far as pedals/resale etc. I’m not even sure what questions I should ask myself to decide. They’re both great, please help?
Great sounding amps but since you ask me, I’d go for the Lionheart. Very versatile and great with pedals.
Hey Bjorn! Thanks for sharing such great deal of knowledge.
So you’re mentioned the Marshall amps couple of times without ever giving example to one certain type. So i was wondering is the new DSL40 any good for that matter. Can it compete for the Gilmourish tone?
Depends on what pedals you use with it. I have a JCM800 Silver Jubilee at home and the clean channel works great for Gilmour stuff and pedals. The DSL is slightly more modern sounding and perhaps a bit brighter but with the right settings it should do the job.
Hello, Bjorn!
Such a great site. Congrats and thank you for all information round here.
My question is about the Hiwatt SA50 212 Combo. Is this amp a good option for Gilmour tones?
Best regards!
Thanks for the kind words and sorry for the late reply. Yes, that’s a great Gilmour style amp.
Hey Bjorn, just wanted to say I’m glad to see you playing V30 speakers in so many of your videos. If you read the forums you’d think they were the most hated speakers with people ranting about how they sound harsh and spiky, but to me they sound dark, thick, chewy smooth and sit perfectly in the live mix. You are well respected for having a great ear for tone so it’s nice to see you using such a popular but much maligned speaker.
Depends entirely on the amp. Some Marshall amps can sound very harsh with V30s but I think they compliment my amps very well.
Hi Bjorn,
I have a question about the amps I am looking for a good pedal platform I already own the katana 50 it’s not bad but it really missing the quality of sound.i am thinking now about the hiwatt t20 head what do you think about that or what amp you will recommend for bedroom playing. pedal effects I am using are buffalo tdx, buffalo Rams Head and then the modulation effects.thanks a lot for the answer and general for all the work you do for us.
I’m really impressed by the Katana but it’s not a tube amp and it wont’ react to pedals like a tube amp. The t20 is a great alternative to a bigger Hiwatt so you can’t really go wrong there. I also strongly recommend the Laney Lionheart series and especially the Studio L5 for bedrooms. A slightly different amp than a Hiwatt but very versatile and a great pedal platform.
Just got a Laney L5 Studio. I am struggling with getting it to sound as good as my Blues Jr for Gilmour tones. I know they two different amps. Any suggestions on settings. My Blues Jr seems to take the pedals better also. I was really excited to get the Laney but not so excited at the moment.
What sort of guitar and pickups do you have? Pedals?
Fender Strat. Custom Shop Fat 50, 69 and SSL 5 pickups. Boss Tuner, Crybaby Wah, Iron Fist comp, Bonsai Tube Screamer, Wampler Plexi Drive, Muffuletta, Phase 90, Boss EQ, Retro Sonic Flanger, Boss Waza Chorus and TC Nova Delay. Amps I have a Blues Jr IV and Lionheart L5 Studio both with JJ Tubes
Sorry for the late reply Michael. The Lionheart is a very different sounding amp than the Blues Jr so you need to set it up differently and tweak your pedals to match. I’d start with just plugging the guitar straight into the amp and create some good platform tones from there. The clean channel is close to a Vox AC30 but the EQ stack allows you to tweak it much more. Try setting the input volume/gain as loud as possible before the amp breaks up, bass 3:00, mids 3:00, treble 9:00, tone 11:00. Hear how that sounds and add your pedals on top of that. Hope that helps.
Thanks for the reply. I will try your suggested settings. I’m using both the Lionheart and blues jr in stereo and live most of the tones I get from the setup. Seems that once in a while with I add the Muffuletta to the tone is gets a little out of phase sounding for some reason. Working on getting that sorted. Thanks again I appreciate you time and expertise
Hello Bjorn! I have a Box AC15C1 and I was wondering if you had any tips on getting anywhere near David Gilmour’s tone with this style of amp, even though it is quite different than the Hiwatt amps that he uses. The guitar I’m using is a MIM Stratocaster and the pedals I have are Boss BD-2, EHX Nano Big Muff Pi, Vox V845 Wah Wah and a Donner Yellow Fall delay. Thank you!
Don’t have any experience with this amp. Sorry.
Hi Bjorn, your site is amazing !! Thanks for the help.. For bedroom, which amplifier do you recommend? Hiwatt T10 5W or VOX Custom Series AC10C1 10W valvular ?
I have a Strat with Cs69 (Neck & Middle) SSL5 (Bridge)
Thank you
Thanks for the kind words! Between the two, the Hiwatt.
Bought a used, mint, Laney LT5 Studio. Previous owner changed the tubes to Tung-Sol tubes but sent the original, unused, tubes with the amp. Should I keep what is in the amp, put the originals back in the amp or buy other tubes ? What tubes do you use in your Laney’s ?
Don’t remember what the originals were but I’m sure the Tung Sols are better.
Thanks for the reply
Hi Bjorn! I’m about to pull the trigger on the laney L20T-112, have you had any experience with this model?
Thank you.
Yes, please see my comments in the gear guide above. The amp is covered there :)
Thank you! I couldnt find the first post so asked again (ooops). Sorry.
Hey Björn I love the site so much! I just picked up a Vox AC30 and was wondering if you have any tips to get anywhere close to Gilmour? Thank you for all the great information .
Congrats! What guitar, pickups and pedals do you have?
Hello Björn. Not OP but I own a Vox AC30VT and was wondering if you had any tips on getting closer to Gilmour’s sound.
I’m playing a G&L S-500 Tribute on the standard MFD pickups, no pedals.
Any tips would be great. Thanks in advance!
I’m sorry but I don’t have any experience with this amp.
Bought a Bassbreaker 15, hum is terrible, especially at the Medium and High Gain structure settings and it just doesn’t seem to take pedals as well as my Blues Jr does. Thinking about getting the Lionheart L5 Studio instead. Is the Lionheart a fairly low noise noise amp and will it take pedals as well as the Blues Jr. does.
Thanks, MGN
I don’t have any noise issues with the Lionheart. It takes most pedals very well.
Thanks, I bought a Lionheart L5 Studio. Looking forward to giving it a go.
Hi, currently debating the bb15 vs l5t-112 but there’s no direct comparisons! I need to choose between the two, both at same price atm. Help me decide?
Hello!
I’m thinking about gettin either a Laney L20t combo or a Peavey classic 30.
Which would you suggest?
Thank you for everything you do!
They’re somewhat similar sounding and both amps can handle pedals very well so it’s hard to pick one. I’ve been using both for years but I guess I prefer the Lionheart.
Hi Bjorn,
I would be almost convinced to buy a hiwatt t20. The problem is that in Italy they are not available and the stores I contacted don’t even know who the Italian distributor is. I wrote to Hiwatt to find out who their Italian distributor was, they replied after a month and they didn’t give me the information. They just told me they have a shop on reverb.com, but on reverb.com they only have expensive amps. So, in order not to think too much about the Hiwatt, I ask you: which amplifier still on the market that looks as similar as possible to the Hiwatt t20? (always in a scalable 20w / 10w perspective or similar).
Cheers from Italy, Marco.
There aren’t really any good amps that replicates the Hiwatt tone. Most makers seem to focus on Vox, Marshall and Fender. The T20 is a very safe amp to buy and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. That being said, I also recommend Laney amps. I’ve had great experience with these myself. The Lionheart amps are exceptional and although they sound closer to a Vox and early Marshall than a Hiwatt, they’re much more versatile than that and very good with most pedals.
Hi there Bjorn, I’ve just come across your site and love it thank you, so much great amp info, just what I needed right now. I would like some advice please, I’m looking to buy a tube amp (my first) and have been offered an older Peavy Classic 20 combo (for about the new price of a Laney Cub 12). I’m learning to play blues so want akind of creamy electric blues sound (I think). I also play at home mainly. I realise I can get a good low vol sound with the 1w part of the Laney, but can I get good low vol sounds from the Peavy. Is the Peavy a sought after gem? I loved the sound and feel of it…. I haven’t played a Laney only heard on youtube. Is one better than the other?
Kind regards Sean.(I’m an older player btw)
I can’t really praise the Laney amps enough. The Cubs are great practice/bedroom amps and the Lionhearts are in my very humble opinion one of the more versatile recording/stage amps out there. The Peavey Classic amps are great and very easy on pedals. I think you’ll be very pleased with that one.
Hi mate!
How do amps such as a Marshall DSL 20c or a Marshall Origin 20c go regarding Gimlour tones? Would you recomend them at all? And what pedals would you pair Marshalls with to get close to David Gimour’s ‘Pulse’ tone? Cheers
I think there are better Gilmourish amps out there, like the Laney Lionhearts or Cubs. These Marshalls doesn’t have all that headroom and the clean tone is a bit too compressed but I’m sure with the right settings and some lower gain overdrives and distortions, you should be able to get some nice tones.
Hi Bjorn,
Massive fan.
A friend just gave me their 1975 silverface 100W Bassman Head, however I’m having trouble locating a matching bassman speaker cabinet. Could you recommend any other cabinets that would pair well? Or what sort of speakers would you think would suit best for tones especially reminiscent of his 1972-1975 pre animals tones? Preferably a silver tolex-y amp to help my ocd… but meh/
Thanks in advance, love your work.
I used the same head years ago with a Sound City 4×12″ cab loaded with Fane Crescendos. Sounded great. Lots of headroom. A tad dark perhaps but that can easily be solved with an EQ or a booster. Other than that, I’m not really sure. I think the head would benefit from some tight sounding speakers with a bit of high mids sparkle.
Bjorn, I have a decision to make. Keep the Laney L5 Studio or get something else to replace my Fender Blues Jr IV. If you were to buy a small wattage amp for home use what would it be? Seems that Laney, Reeves, Hiwatt and a few others make scalable power low wattage tube amps. Any advise would be most appreciated.
I think the Laney Studio L5 is one of the most versatile amps out there. Hard to beat IMO.
Thanks Bjorn
Just bought a Laney L5 Studio, after watching some of your videos and reading your site, to replace my Fender Blues Jr. Hopefully I made the right decision for better Gilmour like tones.
Hi Bjorn,
I own an Alembic and not sure the AX7 tube is the good one.
Do you know what’s the good reference?
Thank you for all your (huge) work,
François – France
An Au7 would probably provide more headroom but I’m not sure what you’re looking for. I don’t own one so maybe others here can help you out…
Hi Bjorn,
I’m looking for a new amp for bedroom practice and I’ve been looking at the Laney L5 combo and Hiwatt T20/10. The main concern I have is how well they take pedals, specially if they sound good with my fuzz (Keeley Dark Side V2). I’d love to try them, but I don’t have any stores nearby that own one. Which one do you think sounds better for Gilmour tones at bedroom levels and takes pedals better?
Thanks and, as always, appreciate your work on this site!
Kind regards,
Arnau
I think both amps will do the job nicely and both will handle fuzz/Muff pedals. Between the two though I think the Laney is much more versatile.
Hi Bjorn,love your site,your youtube …everything.Realy great.A question… can you sugest me how to arange equalzer pots on my GALLIEN KRUEGER ML 250 amp.
tnx
regards from Croatia,Aleksandar
Thanks for the kind words! I’m really not that familiar with this amp but Kit Rae has an interesting article on the model.
Hey Bjorn, I know it’s been around awhile, and that you have the Tubemeister 18, but I subscribe to a YouTube channel by a guy named Darrell Braun, and today he showcased the amp he claims to be almost perfect. The Hugh’s and Kettner Deluxe Tubemeister 40. I have to admit that the cleans are incredible, and does everything from mild crunch to ultra metal, has 128 footswitchable presets for the built in effects, or your tones, which when you find a setting you love, you press one button, and all the settings are memorized. Have you had any experience with this amp? If so, what are your thoughts? If not, does anyone in the Gilmourish community have one, and what are your opinions on it as a do everything amp. It has power scaling down to 1 watt, an xlr out for recording, and at least on the cleans, and crunch, there was no noticeable difference between a real cabinet, and the XLR going straight into the recording console. Too many things to go further, some I’ve not seen before. I’d really love some opinions on it if anyone has played through one. Sorry so long, but if he didn’t do any trickery, it sounds incredible, and looks beautiful!!!
Peace, KEITH
Hi Keith, sorry for the late reply… I did have the Tubemeister 18 but I ended up trading it. Anyway, I used it a lot in my home recording studio. Didn’t really explore the DI that much but the power scaling worked really good. Easy to record and it worked really well with pedals. I did use the drive channel for pedals though. The clean channel sounded amazing on its own but way too much headroom and very little mids for pedals. At least my pedals.
Maybe a bit off topic…
But does anyone use a cranked Hiwatt style amplifier?
My Hi-Tone 50 watt head, seems to work totally different than any other amp.
The master volume on any other amp I know of, feels like an attenuation thing, that drops volume, without really affecting the drive… Other than draining the life out of the amp!
On my Hi-Tone, the master volume knob is the only way to achieve overdriven tones. Seems more like an active part of the amp, rather something that just subtracts power.
With channel volume knobs serving more like mixers to get a darker or brighter base tone, not creating overdrive.
Especially with low output 69 style single coil pickups, the channel volumes seem a bit unresponsive to breaking up.
I have also noticed pictures of David Gilmour’s amps, with cranked master volumes, on live occasions during a period when he didn’t use dedicated overdrive pedals and his clean tone without fuzz added sounds a bit crunchy.
Any experience with Hiwatts anyone?
And what pedals you pair them with, if any?
Cheers!
I don’t know the technical terms or details for it but the master control is certainly a big part of the Hiwatt’s tone and character. It depends on the model, speakers and your pickups but my experience is that although. you casn get a bit of fizz from the pre-amp stage, with the master low, the amp really comes alive when you dial the master past 8-9 o’clock. This will drive the output tubes and speakers, adding to the gain but you will also get much more compression, mids and not least low end as well.
I just realized there’s an answer to my comment..!
Fizz is the right way to describe it.
The preamp controls feel like sort of a (clean PA-ish) mixer for two different instruments, like most systems back in those days. Unique amps with the addition of the master volume.
What guitarists utilised them for, is a different story!
Thank you for your input, Bjorn, much appreciated!
Hey Bjorn,
I’m stuck! What would you choose and why?
2010 Laney L5 combo (made in UK) or
2019 Fender Blues Junior IV Tweed special (with Eminence RWB)?
I’m in Australia so everything’s so expensive, especially new.
Many thanks
Darren
These are two very different sounding amps. The BJ is a modern Fender, with a bit more mids and compression than the classic Fenders but still in that same tone family. The Lionheart is sort of a mix between a Vox and an early Marshall. I’ve been using the Lionheart for years and can’t really praise it enough. It’s always a matter of taste but I think these amps are very versatile and great pedal platforms.
Anyone have experience with the t5 max iii hiwatt? Motor city guitar just started carrying them, at a very reasonable price.
I’m interested in T5 as well, if it will accomplish decent Hiwatt tone at bedroom levels.
Iam very interested I. This amp as well r a t20 not many Floyd tones related with hd regarding this new little amp
Hello Bjorn, greetings from Russia for everyone’s here reading.
I’m going to buy the Ampeg Reverbrocket R12R (usa ’96) or Laney VC15 -110 (China 2010′(?) for playing blues/classic rock at home. In the second case I hope to find more classic clean and overdrive tone according to YT vids. The first one looks better cause of USA made and its year +12″ speaker. Meanwhile the Ampeg’s overdrive this poorer than VC15.
I’ll try both this week and make my choise but your opinion is very important for me.
What do you think about?
Best rgrds,
Sergei.
I’ve only tried the VC15. It’s very close to a VOX. I’d also consider the Lionheart. Amazing amp that fits your description perfectly.
Thanks for your reply Bjorn. Will try to find someone who has one. It’s not popular here. Don’t know why
Hello bjorn,
I’ve decided to change out my stock Jenson speakers out of my fender 65 Twin reverb reissue but not sure with what speakers.
I hate the mid scoop and nasally choked sound.
Im looking for a tight bottom end punchy mid and crisp biting high end. Maybe a celestion speaker just not sure which one model brand Etc.
Any ideas?
Any idea of which fane speaker model does gilmour have in his wem cabs?
Crescendo. Read more about David’s Hiwatts and WEMs here.
Oh… I don’t really have that much epxerience with swapping speakers in Fender amps. There are lots of tone charts available with a Google search. I’ve had great success with some Eminence speakers and the Cannabis Rex in particular but it might be a tad too dark for your amp.
My Laney Lionheart 20 MH started making a continuous cracking noise which I soon found out was from the digital reverb
Luckily the amp was still under warranty. Unfortunately, I had bought it from a retailer 200 km away from where I live.
I was told that I had to take or send the amp to the retailer I bought from, they would take care of warranty repair, and amp would then be shipped back to me
Other than the 400 km round trip, the rest of the process was straight forward and hassle free, and after 4 weeks the amp was waiting for me at our local post office.
in the box I found a new footswitch, a new cover, and a new set of pamphlets and stickers
A few days later, I realized the amp had a different serial number than the one I had on my original purchase receipt and the warranty repair request form
seems like instead of making repairs they sent me another amp. Either that I they mistakenly placed some other amps back grill on my amp
It is sounding as good as ever again, and I am looking to buy a reverb pedal and stop using the amps reverb that is not really that good anyway
For whatever it’s worth, the retailer told me that it was the first Laney Lionheart out of many hundreds they had sold that they had to send for a warranty repair.
Hello Bjorn,
I just purchased the hiwatt t20 head and am tossed between the hiwatt 212 cab or hit-one eclipse 212 cab, which is designed to replicate the wem gilmour cabs. Im chasing the gilmour sound but unsure about the quality and sound of which of the two brand cabs is best.
Please give me any input and opinions you have on which way to go with the best cab for my hiwatt t-20 for the gilmour tone and sound?
Thanks,
Rob h
Ps. Love your input and grateful.
ty Bjorn.
Hi-tone eclipse 212 (looks like a wem cab and suppose to replicate the wem gilmour cabs)
vs.
Hiwatt 212 cabs. (Which fits my new hiwatt t-20h.
I’m leaning towards the hi-tone but not sure about the quality and sound of hi-tone compared to hiwatt. The hi-tone is double the price so that tells me good quality.
Your thoughts please?
The Hi-Tone and Hiwatt will probably get you closer to the original Gilmour sound, but a Celestion V30 2×12 will also do the trick :P it’s probably cheaper too.
I don’t think you can go wrong with the Hi-Tone.
Hi Robert, did you buy it used? In Italy it is practically impossible to find a new one.
Hey Bjorn,
Great site my friend, a blessing to us all. So my question is I have a Bugera G5 head and cab. Would this be considered a mid scooped (Fender type) or a mid humped (Marshall, Hiwatt type) amp?
Thanks my Bru,
I haven’t tried the G5 but from what I understand it does a bit of both with a “blend” control for Fender and/or Marshall.
Hey Björn, isn‘t easy to get a Reeves. Maybe a can get a Custom 50 Jimmy PS. Is it possible to adjust it to get Davids too? Or better hands off?
What do you think? Any Experience?
On the other side I get a Hiwatt Custom 50 from the early 70s. The Partrige Travos have been changed by well known shop in Germany. This is about 1.200,— Euro. The Reeves Jimmy is about 1.600.
Both should be working well. What is your opinion. Wich one would you prefer.
Greetings and it‘s every time a pleasure.
The Jimmy should do nicely for David’s tones. It has a tad more gain than the stock Custom 50 but certainly enough headroom for your pedals. Personally I would make sure to properly test an amp from the 70s. Also considering that the original transformers is replaced.
Hi Bjorn. A guy up the road from me is selling a Laney VC15 and since you seem to be a fan of the Laney’s I was wondering if you had heard of or had any experience with this model for Gilmour tones. Would the amp be a step up timewise to my Laney LC15R?.
Thanks
The Laney is close to a Vox AC15 although it’s got a lot of character of its own. Personally I prefer the Lionhearts for David’s tones but the VC15 is worth checking out.
Hi Björn, recently i got a nice working Yamaha RA 100 from the bay. Do you have any thoughts about that David used his RA 200 with pedals?
Congrats! He would split the mono signal from his pedal board into line for the Hiwatts and one for the Yamaha, wich was mixed slightly lower than the Hiwatts on stage and the albums. So, he fed all of his pedals and tones straight into the Yamaha.
Hey Bjorn,
I recently purchased the Laney Cub stack, and although it does some things particularly well, it sounds super vintage. I realized that this amp was vintage voiced but it still surprised me. I come from a background of modelling amps, mainly because I don’t have much money. My last amp was a line 6 spider V 120, I always stayed on the Hiwatt setting, and it took a long time, but I got quite an accurate tone from it. I’m completely new to tube amps, so I don’t know if it’s the tubes I’m not liking, the speakers, the amp, or if I’m simply not a tube amp guy. I like the ability to have a very clean base tone, one where strumming a chord up high won’t really give any distortion. I was wondering if the Laney Lionheart might be better suited, there’s a listing of a Laney L5 combo that I would be able to afford. I like a slightly more modern sounding clean tone. If it means anything to you, I like the clean tone of the Mesa Boogie express series.
Just wanted to add a little something to my comment here. The Laney Cub 12 has an awesome distorted tone, running really any pedals through it I absolutely love. But whenever I’m not running pedals, which I do frequently, it doesn’t have the best clean tone. This might be my inexperience with tube amps, but I get quite a bit of him when using my Viks Audio Rams Head through the amp, I usually have to dial the volume knob lower on the pedal to have it settle down. I was wondering if it’s possible to reduce hum from that pedal or if it’s just going to be there. I was thinking about investing in a sunface bc109, and knowing that it can be aggresive, I didn’t want to get it if I know it’ll cause a lot of hum.
Yes the Cub definitely has a vintage flavour. So does the Lionheart but it’s a much more versatile amp, which you can tweak for lots of different tones but I don’t think you should compare these with a modern modelling amp.
Hi Bjorn,
Im looking for a small bedroom amp, l probably have it clean and run my pedals in front.
What are your thoughts on the Blackstar HT5R amp?
Im currently looking at the Lionheart LT5, Bassbreaker 007, Blues junior, Blackstar HT5R.
Thank you for share your knowledge.
Between these I’d go for the Laney.
Hi Bjorn! First of all, i need to thank you for the great content you bring to us! So, the question. Have you had contact with Bugera amps? I’m starting to purchase some gear for Gilmour tones, and i’m thinking about starting from the amp. What do you think? Cheers from Brazil!
I’ve tried some of the models yes. Great tones for an affordable price.
Hello Bjorn,
i plan to buy a fender stratocaster david gilmour nos.
I m now looking for the amp and i have a deal.
Hiwatt T20 head (no cab for the moment) or Hiwatt Custom Little D + Wem cab 1×12 fane speaker g12 ?
I have for the moment a TC Electronics Hall of Fame, that i could use if the T20 reverb is bad.
What is the best deal for me ?
thanks
Adrien
I’ve only tried the T20 but I guess the Little D is a step up tonewise.
Hello bjorn,
Just received my new hiwatt t20h and the power cord is a European plug. I need US plug.
Came with a15 amp 250v cord but when looking for a US cord they only come in 150v. Will that work and if not what will. Also not sure what the awg (gauge) is. The euro cord doesn’t say but it’s thicker then 18v volts. Not sure to try 16 or 14 volts. Sorry that it’s not much of a Gilmore equipment question but I’m not sure who else to ask Do you have any ideas.
Thank you so much for your time and sharing of knowledge with the world I greatly appreciate it
Oh, I’m no expert on electronics. Ask someone certified so you don’t end up ruining the amp or hurt yourself.
Hi Bjorn,
My modelling amp recently went, and I’ve been in in the market for a new amp. I also loved this article, the amp selections really make sense and the amount of valuable information here is unending, every time I read through it I find another interesting thing to consider. Which is also why I’m writing this. I’m really stuck between the two Laney suggestions you made, the Laney Cub and the Laney Lionheart. I play with a Fender Player Strat with SSL-5 bridge pickups, I use the Vik Audio 73′ Ram’s Head for my fuzz tones, EHX Canyon Delay, and MXR UniVibe for some of my phaser tones. I was in the middle of recording a cover of Echoes when my amp went, so I was wondering if, considering my setup, the Laney Cub or Laney Lionheart might get me closer to David’s lead tones in Meddle, Dark Side, and maybe Animals. I also love playing other classic prog rock stuff, like Yes and King Crimson.
Both amps are great but the Lionheart is definitely worth the little extra. Great tones of its own and a great pedal platform as well.
Wattup bjorn! Im struggling to pick between Fender Champion 40 and the Boss Katana 50. Which one do you think is best for THE GILMOUR TONES.I have a OD 3 and DD3 so i dont care about those built in effects.
PS: I play a variety of bands like Pink floyd, GnRs, Zeppelin, hendrix, Nitvana,ect.
Both of them will do the job but I guess the Fender is more true to the tone, while the Boss is the more versatile.
Have you had a chance to check out the new Marshall Studio vintage plexi? I’m really leaning towards this as it does clean up really nicely. It also takes pedals exceptionally well. What are your thoughts? Hope all is well
Bjorn,
Good day to you, and as always thank you for your priceless knowledge, and help.
I just bought the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander, I will list below my pedals and pick up, I want to buy a 50 watt amp, I’m thinking about 50W because I really want lots and lots headroom, to get as close to an hiwatt as possible, my question for you is; what is the absolute best amp I could get based on this brands: Fender, Bugera, Laney, Fuchs, vox?.
gear I use are the following main guitar Fender american Clapton stratocaster with, EMG DG20 pups, second guitar Fender telecaster american 50’s reissue Gibson les paul traditional.
pedals in this exact order:
tc electronic polytune, Dunlop wah, Whirlwind red box compressor, tc electronic univibe, Electro harmonix Russian big muff, Boss blues driver, Hughes and Kettner tube factor overdrive, Vick audio tree of life, overdrive, Keeley dark side, pro co rat distortion, MXR phase 90, tc electronic flashback delay..
Your help on this will be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
You list very different types of amps so it depends on how you’ll be using the amp. None of them are particularly close to a Hiwatt but you can get lots of headroom with all of them.
Thanks Bjorn, I ended up to buy a Kemper, this way I have all the amps i need ((:
I got to tell you I love it!! probably one of the best music purchase I ever made.
Hi Bjorn! Quick question for you – I’m looking to scale down to lower wattage heads and I’ve owned a Lionheart 50 in the past, but that was one of the loudest amps I’ve ever played through. I want something that’s easier to achieve some power amp break up since I will be using it for gain with a boost or overdrive out front, but with enough power to keep up with some decent size gigs. I know it’s only 20 watts but I’m assuming with that quartet of EL84’s it’s got pretty decent output? I know you’ve used it as a stage amp so I figured I would check. Thanks!
I’ve no problems using the L20 on stage. I always use front stage monitoring but mainly just to get a nicely balanced hearing. I mainly use the clean channel these days. It’s got a lot of headroom and a very nice breakup if you push it. The dirt channel can be set clean too, with a bit more mids and compression. One of the best amps I’ve played.
Hi Bjorn, I was looking to change my amp with something bigger and with more headroom, so i was oriented on an Hiwatt head, on the used market there are a lot of occasions and i wanted a tip on some heads.
I saw the Hiwatt T40, and The Hiwatt HI-Gain 50 (The Made in china one) What would you recomend?
I read a lot of contrasting opninions on the Hi-Gain series especially the made in china version, some people say that is really good and other people say that it is really really bad, and on youtube there aren’t a lot of good demo of this head.
I will use mainly the clean channel with some pedals like compression,muff, BD-2, Modulations and delay, so i don’t really care about the drive channel on both of the models, pairing the head with a celestion G30 speaker.
So my main concern was wich of these amps could get closer to Gilmour’s tone, and give the opportunity to have a clean platform to experiment with pedals?
Thank you.
Anto.
Both of them will do the job for your Gilmour tones but personally I think the T40 is much better than the Hi-Gain. The T40 has much more character and dynamics and I think you’ll find it to be a better responding platform for your pedals.
Hello Bjorn, Awsome work you do here.
I just purchased the hiwatt t20 head,
Tossed between getting the hiwatt 212 cab or the Marshall sv212 cab which looks beautiful. Unsure if the marshall cab will sound good with the hiwatt head, especially for sounding like gilmour. If I’m not mistaken I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Gilmour on stage using Marshall cabs I’m not sure with what amp head running into it whether a marshall hiwatt or fender head or both.
Your thoughts please?
David used a combination of Marhsall and WEM cabs during the 1994 Division Bell tour. Not sure what speakers are in the SV212 but I would imagine something vintage sounding, which is a cool match for a Hiwatt but you will get a tone that much tighter and slightly darker than the typical Hiwatt and Fane combination.
Hi Bjorn – I’m loving this site! So much great information. Have you had a chance to try a Blues Junior IV yet? If so, would you rate that over a BJ III in terms of achieving the Gilmour sound? Thanks!
Thank you!
No, I haven’t tried the IV so I can’t really comment on the differences. As for the BJ in general, it’s a great amp and pedal platform that suits David’s 90s and present tones in particular.
Thanks for the reply! Which of the amps listed above would best suit his DSOTM through Wall tones? I’m playing a Strat with CS69/SSL configuration. Would like to stay 20w or less.
All of the amps mentioned will deliver a good platform for your Gilmour tones and pedals. Personally I love the Laney Lionhearts.
Hi Bjorn,
first of all thank you for all the good information about david world …
I just bought hiwatt little D custom. Can you advise me any suitable cabinet or speaker to couple? It is for home so it must be 1×12
Am I between celestion G12M or V30 I don’t know Celestion G12H-75 Creamback?
Thanks in advance.
Personally I’d go for G12H. They compliment the Hiwatt tone very well, with a bit of high mids sparkle.
How about Fender Pro Junior IV?
For what pickups and pedals?
Stratocaster single coil standard pickup, Ibanez tube screamer, mxr script phaser, boss bd2, flashback 2 for delay, boss rv6 for reverb, vox wah, are my primary pedals
Yes, I think the amp would fit nicely. Check out these features for some related tone tips
Knowing what pedals to choose for different types of amps
How to get killer bedroom tones
Hi Bjorn
I’m considering buying a new amp, I’ve always loved Pink Floyd and David, but I’d also like to reserve the opportunity to explore new territories.
Could the new Marshall Studio Classic be a good basis for pedals ?
Thank you for your valuable opinion.
Luca
That’s a big question. What sort of amp you want depends on what tones you want, the guitar and pedals you use, how you’ll be using the amp etc. >I don’t have that much experience with the Classic but I think they’re more of a plug n play kind of amp. It will take pedals but you’re probably better off with using the amp for gain. I’d go for a cleaner amp if you intend to use a lot of pedals. I guess my best tip is to visit your local guitar store and just try a bunch of different amps to get an idea of what’s out there.
Why do you mic your amp? Is it for recording or do you get better sound?
I’m not sure I understand the question. You need to mic the cab to be able to record and you need to mic to be able to tap the can in a PA system. Micing in it self doesn’t make you sound any different.
Hi Bjorn,
I will buy a Laney L5 studio head…Cant decide between harley benton g112 celestion v30(you know it is 60w) or another 30w speaker for the cab…some people says L5 and hb v30 make a good pair, some people says 5w of the amp is not enough to vibrate 60w speaker cones , coils and not enough for breaking in…I will use the amp at home (so I may run the amp on 0.5w) or in small venues on 5w…So if I go with 60w v30 , what s about speaker efficiency, or any lack of tone ?…You may suggest me another speaker which is working well with L5…thanks
It’s a matter of taste. I think the 2×12″ Lionheart cabs come with a G12H and V30 now. They compliment each other very well. The G12H has a bit more high mids sparkle, while the V30 is tight and slightly darker.
I’m tossed between this hiwatt T20 and the laney lionheart l20h for that Gilmour tone. Keep in mind I’m more of a marshall sound and less of a fender sound fan and love lots of pedals in my rig. Which would you recommend, money is not an issue?
Sorry for the late reply.
Both amps are somewhat in that Marshall terrotory. Or at least British :) The Hiwatt has a lot of headroom, whereas the Lionheart has a clean channel very similar to a AC30 and a drive channel, which can be set clean, very similar to a Plexi. I love them both and obviously, a Hiwatt is very Gilmour but IMO the Lionheart has more character and a wider range of tones.
Have you ever tried the Laney GH series 50w heads (GH50R/ GH50L)? The cleans sound pretty good on those. I’m thinking of getting one as an alternative to a Fender clean tone.
Haven’t tried them.
Hi, Bjorn! Need help ))
I have bought my first combo – Boss Katana 50 and have one question.
What can i do with EQ settings on the combo if i use it always clean? I already had Boss GE7 – EQ pedal, Boss Blues Driver etc. Should i stay Katana EQ settings on 12 o’clock and use only Boss GE7, ?r exists more preferred settings in this case?
Thank you.
I’d start with just the clean amp and your guitar. Set the EQ controls at 12/noon and find the right balance between the gain (input) and volume (output). You probably want the gain slightly higher than the volume. Tweak the EQ controls to enhance the tone. Subtle changes often goes a long way. I usually increase the mids and bass a tad and roll back the treble slightly. An EQ pedal should be used with care and to compensate for anything lacking in your amp or a pedal. More on how to set up EQ pedals here.
Bjorn, This is another amazing article, still going after Four years. A testament to you and your site sir!
I am enjoying my Laney Cub 12R. A great recommendation, thank you ?
I do wish I had gone with the stack as you recommended less vibration.
As it is a 15 / .75 watt amp. What wattage rating should I be looking at for a replacement speaker?What 12” would be a better speaker company and model for this amp for David’s tones.
I’m going to exchange all the tubes first. It seems you like the JJ line up for warmth and balance. I already replaced the V1 with a 5751 JJ Gold Pin. On the JJ lineup. Do you think the Gold Tip option and cost difference is a good value. I know it’s subjective but I would like your opinion.
Thanks again for all You Do for All of Us!
Walter H.
Thanks for the kind words Walter! I’d start with the tubes and then consider replacing the speaker for maybe a Celestion G12H or V30 although you might the latter a bit dark. I think the gold pins are worth it but mind that the difference is minimal.
Bjorn:
I’m installing the JJ Preamp tubes Today! I also have the Power Tubes but need to find someone to Bias the Cub when I change the Power tubes but thankfully not when you change the Preamp ones.
On the speakers, thanks for the recommendations.?
I know I need a 12” and 8 ohms but How do I select the proper Wattage RMS for the replacement speaker? Do I get a 15-20 watt or would a 50-75 watt change the tones and sounds? Haven’t done a change before so I need your advise again please…
Thanks for All You Do for All of Us!
Walter H.
I would stick to a wattage that’s close to the stock speakers as the amp is set up for this. However, wattage doesn’t really say much about output or tone.
Hi Bjorn!
What did you mean:
“The edge of breakup”
Tks!
Rolling the volume or gain up until you hear a bit of compression or even overdrive happening. You want a bit of bite but not full blown overdrive.
Hi Bjorn. How good are solid state amps at getting the right tone? Im interested in Fender Champion 100.
Depends on what you mean by “right tone” :) Solid state amps sound different to tube amps. It’s a matter of taste.
Hey Bjorn. What do you think of Fender Super Champ X2. I know David told that he used the Fender Super Champ XD, which is almost the same.
It’s a nice practice amp, with classic Fender tones. Check out this feature for some tips on choosing the right pedals for different types of amps.
Hi,
How would you compare celestian V30 with Bugera Turbosound speakers (if you have had experience with them)
I have never had Celestian V30 and I know you are a fan of them. I aopreciate your opinion on the versus Bugera if you have tried Bugera speakers. They come separately in cans as well as with Bugera V22 and V55 combos
I haven’t tried the Bugera sound I can’t compare the two. The V30s have a fairly warm low end and mids, with a bit of high end sparkle. They can sound a bit too dark on some amps but they work nicely with typical British amps… IMO.
I love almost everything about my Laney Lionheart 20H – almost
The parallel effects leaves much to be desired
better designed parallel loops give the option of defining the wet/dry ratio from 100% wet (which is like series loop) to 0% wet (which is like a loop bypass)
I only use a delay (analog carbon copy) in the loop and it sounds fine. I also have a moderate setting on the amps reverb and it does not do anything strange after the delay.
But anyone wishing to use multiple effects, especially phaser or flanger, or choruses in the loop is bound to encounter some strange sounds — or cool sounds depending on the type of sounds one like
just try a digital processor or something like Line6 M13 (with effects that sound fantastic in a series loop) and you’ll hear all sorts of bizarre sounds. That is what parallel loops do, but better designed loops give options and controls over the loop. Laney Lionheart does not
Laney Lionheart has a fixed ratio parallel loop with no control given to the amp owner other than a bypass — that is, in my not very humble opinion, garbage.
As I was dropping my Bugera V22 (which has a proper series loop) at a tech’s for a retube and overall checkup, I told him about the Lionheart loop. He said that it was a known source of complaint. he also said that there were two mods
– an inexpensive one that removes something from the circuit and turn it into a series loop
– a more time-consuming one to add something to the circuit and a knob to the panel to give full control over the parallel loop
I think mods of that nature will very likely invalidate the manufacturer’s warrantee
I only use an analog delay in the loop and have no issue with the sound, but the mods are there if I suddenly realize that my life is incomplete without a flanger running into a phase in the loop.
Hey Bjorn, so for about a year I’ve been using the Laney Cub 12r after following this guide. I play mostly at home and with friends but do gig in bars/clubs sometimes. Do you recommend that I use the effects loop on the amp? I’ve been using it but I’d like to improve my tone.
My setup is a cry baby > tuner > keely compressor+ > hot wax > Russian big muff. On the loop it goes mxr chorus > phase 95 > mxr carbon copy deluxe
Do you run the amp clean or cranked for overdrive? If clean I’d just plug all the pedals into the front. It will sound better I think. The loop on these cheaper amps aren’t that good.
Hello Bjorn – I’ve gotten more into the Les Paul into Plexi tones lately, but I would love to be able to have a real clean channel on stage instead of just rolling back the volume on the guitar. I know you’ve used the Lionheart extensively, and I know it’s got a beautiful Vox derived clean channel, but have you been able to get convincing Plexi type tones from the gain channel without pedals other than maybe something to boost the front end? Thanks for all your help.
The gain channel is based on the JTM/Plexi style amps. It’s not dead on but with a bit of tweaking it’s definitely in that ballpark. To get even closer I often use PAF humbuckers and boost the amp with a hint of a EP booster or the JHS Charlie Brown. Adds a bit more of that marshall mid range and compression.
Hi Bjorn! I have a Marshall Origin 20 tube amp. Is it good? :)
Ha ha, you tell me :) What is a good amp in your opinion?
Yeah, you´re right! :) i just have problem with my clean sound, that is sound i dont know, maybe to flat? I dont know if its because i have a telecaster and you have an strat for example. :) Or if there is a problem with settings on an amp..
Marshall’s clean tones has often been debated because many find it to sound flat or dull. I think part of the problem is that one often use the same EQ settings for bothe clean and dirt channel and just switch between the two. People often have a pristine Fender clean tone in their head but that’s as far off from the Marshall character as you can get.
Personally I like the Marshall clean. Especially on the JTM and JCM amps. I usually boost the bass and roll back the mids a tad to eliminate some of that boxy presence, which is great with distortion but with cleans. I usually keep the treble pretty low and the presence around noon.
Hi Bjorn.
I just dug up my old mans old Fender Bassman head and cab. What are your thoughts on using this as a amp for guitar? I have a strat (3s) and drive through a blues driver. Would this get in the ballpark of a gilmour tone? Or perhaps just as importantly…. sound good? Thanks in advance, love this page to pieces.
I used a Bassman 100 Silverface for years. Loved that amp. Lots of headroom and great with pedals.
Hello Bjorn, I’m Fausto from Argentina, this is a wonderful site! Great job; Can I ask you a question? I have a Laney Lionheart L5 combo with a Celestion G12H, and a Fender Strat American Std.. Could you tell me how do you set your Lionheart? Thanks! Among other pedals I have TS9, Wampler Tunmus, Flashback and nano Big Muff.
Thanks for the kind words! Right now my favourite setting is this
clean channel, bright on, bass and mids 3:00, treble 9:00, reverb off, tone 11:00. You might want to adjust that to match the volume and your pickups. If this is very different from what you’re used to, I’d set the amp first and then start with the pedals. They probably need some adjustments.
Thank you Bjorn!.
Hi Bjorn, i am mariano from Argentina. I want to buy a new valve amp to use it as a pedal platform. Maybe peavy classic 30, laney Lionheart 20 112, or cub212, and what do you know about blackstar Artist 15? Witch one do you prefer better? Thank you
I haven’t tried the Blackstar model but most of their stuff seems to be voiced in Marshall territory. The Peavey and Laneys are listed and talked about in the above feature :)
Really love David’s tone! If you guys are interested and have an Axe FX, I tried my hand at his legendary tone from a few songs, and would love to hear your comments on it. Check out the videos here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ayH0vczaeI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrA9lONcgOA
Cheers!
Hi Bjorn!
I’m pulling the trigger on a v40 soon, but I want a pedal to give me that plexi twang as a second option. I’ve settled on the plexitone. I adore all the demoes I’ve seen from the logain so far, but I’m stuck… I’d love the ability for the pedal to also go into high gain territory when necessary, but I’m just a bit puzzled about the redundancy of the logain vs regular plexitone. If the logain is just a lower gain version of the regular plexitone, shouldn’t I be able to recreate all the lower gain sounds with a regular single channel plexitone (granted, I’ll have to fine tune it more carefully in the lower drive range, but I’ll have the option to go higher when I want to as compared to the plexitone logain)? Do you have experience with both?
Thanks so much for the insights, the reactivity, and the obvious passion you inject in this site!
Alex
How much gain a pedal will produce depends on how hot your pickups are and how much headroom your amp has. A distortion pedal will sound very different on a Twin compared to a modern Marshall. One approach for versatile sounds is to use a low or moderate gain pedal and a booster placed in front for boosting the gain for certain parts. You can also place a booster after, but that will provide more volume and tone rather than gain.
Thanks, Bjorn. My point exactly. I was wondering whether or not you had experience with both pedals, and whether or not a plexitone can in fact replicate all the sounds of a lo gain version, just with different controls. But thanks a lot for your comments on order, because that’s something I’ll be digging in as well. Much appreciated!
The bigger box Plexitone can do that but the smaller, Pete Thorn models sound thin and weak on lower gain I think. They’re designed for heavier tones.
Thanks for the reply, Bjorn! Very helpful!
Hi Bjorn. I am using the ZoomGx3 processor. I am thinking about choosing an amplifier: tubemeister 18 or peavey classic 20 MH. . Which one will be better? Thank you in advance for your answer.
I like them both but the Peavey Classic is hard to beat and much more versatile.
Hi Bjorn!
What to you think about the peavey delta blues 210 MADE IN USA?
Similar to the Fender Blues Jr. Not an ideal pedal platform but it can certainly handle some pedals and especially models with a bit more kids and compression.
I’ve never played the 2×10, but the 1×15 Delta Blues has been my main amp for 7 years. Mine is a mid-2000s USA-made amp with the stock Blue Marvel 15” speaker (though I just custom ordered a Weber Ceramic Thames 15” with the vented aluminum dustcap from the FC12). As I understand, the Delta Blues is identical to the Classic 30, with the addition of a built-in tremolo circuit and the different speaker configurations. I’ve never had the pleasure of playing with a Hiwatt-style amp, but to me they sound like they’ve got a big and tight bottom end, slightly scooped lower-mids, strong upper-mids with lots of punch and chime, and a very articulate top end. The Delta Blues is similar, but with less scooped lower-mids, so it’s a little fatter. If the Hiwatt DR103 sounds like a high-headroom Fender Blackface Bassman had a baby with a Marshall JTM45, then the Delta Blues sounds more like a Brownface Fender Deluxe had a baby with a Marshall 1959 Super Lead. The Delta Blues takes pedals extremely well, and it might have a bit more headroom than the Classic 30, due to the big 15” or 2×10” speakers. It is a loud amp for a bedroom, though. I play mine through a Weber 100W MASS attenuator, which is necessary if you want to set it to the edge of breakup (around setting 6–7 on the clean channel) and use boosts, ODs, and/or big muffs without being uncomfortable. For some pretty convincing Gilmour-inspired lead tones, I use my hardtail Robert Cray signature Strat with a SSL-5 bridge pup into a MXR Dyna Comp>MXR 10-band EQ set to cut lows and boost mids>EHX Big Muff (Green Russian for 80s/90s or the Triangle for late-70s stuff and a half-assed imitation of silicon fuzz face)>EHX Hot Wax (Hot Tubes side set up as a clean boost, EQ’d to taste)>EHX Deluxe Electric Mistress XO Reissue (I love this pedal, but do I wish it could be slightly more transparent with distortion) >Ibanez Mini Chorus (either placed on the dry output of the Electric Mistress into my Vox AC15 for stereo, or placed into the Delta Blues FX loop to emulate the Leslie rotary cab in mono)>Boss DD-3 Digital Delay, typically set to a subtle level, somewhere around 300ms. I would certainly trust Bjorn’s advice over anything I say regarding Gilmour tones. The Laney Lionheart is probably a better amp in every way than the Delta Blues, and I hear the Hiwatt tube series is great, especially if you want to get as close to Gilmour’s tones as possible without dropping a ton of money.
Hi Bjorn! What do you Think about the Fender Blues Deluxe for Gilmour tones?
Greetings!
Very nice pedal platform.
A few years ago, David recommended a Bugera V22 Infinium as a small amp/cabinet combo. I ended up buying one about two years ago. I liked it, but wanted to do a few upgrades. I ended up replacing the tubes with a matched set of JJ tubes and a Celestion Cream speaker. What a difference! Real warmth and clarity even with overdrive.
David recommended?
Yes! That is one reason I bought one.
Otherwise, I don’t understand your question.
OK, I haven’t seen him recommend one so I wondered where you saw that.
Hey David, I have the V22 also. I was wondering what watt creamback did you go with.
Hi,
What about the peavey delta blues 210 MADE IN USA?
I think I got one from 2005/2015
Hi Bjorn,
I recently purchased a used Hiwatt T20 HD but I’m not 100% satisfied with the tone.
It sounds a little bit harsh to me on the high frequences and midrange is not so sweet. I swapped the Ruby tubes I found on it with Tung Sol tubes and tone improved, but I’m not convinced yet.
I play at home only and I use the amp mainly for recording, so power is not a priority.
Do you think it is worth to change it with a Laney L5 Sudio? Watching youtube videos It seems to me more versatile and tone sounds smoother and more bluesy.
Thank you for your advice and for your beautiful website.
Giulio
Hi Giulio. Had some issues with the spam filter. Very sorry for the late reply.
What sort of speakers do you have? Keep in mind that a Hiwatt has tons of headroom and a clean amp can often sound a bit bright and harsh. Depending on your pickups and speakers, you should really try to experiment with the pre-volume and master on your Hiwatts. Make it push the tubes a little to get that compression, lower the master and be careful with the treble.
Thank you Bjorn for your reply.
I use the Hiwatt for recording, directly connected to my soundcard through a Torpedo Captor loadbox. I use Fane Redwirez IR in Cubase.
I mainly use a stratocaster with pickups Fender CS Fat’50, Custom’69, SD SSL-5 and a Telecaster Plus with Lace Sensor pickups. This second guitar has a hotter tone and sound is better to me with the Hiwatt. The stratocaster is a little too bright/weak.
So in your opinion should I stay with the Hiwatt? It is not the case to replace the amp with a Laney L5 Studio?
Thank you
Giulio
I’m sure you can get the tones you need with a bit of tweaking. Whether or not you should buy a new amp is not for me to say. Both amps are great.
Hey Giulio,
I have a T20 HD as well and I am very satisfied with the tone.
Swapped a couple of preamp Ruby tubes for JJ Electronic tubes so far, because they blew up. Not sure that made a big difference in sound, if any…
I am using it with a 1×12 Celestion V30 speaker though and that is fairly dark sounding with lots of low end, so I roll of the bass to like 10 o’clock and have the treble at noon. Master Vol. from like 7:30 to 9 o’clock, depending on playing at home or with the band, Mids at 1, Normal Gain at 3 (I think you can actually turn this up to max and the amp won’t break up). This way you should get the compression Bjorn was writing about ;)
Only really harsh sound I’ve got so far was the Muff + Elec-Lady combo on high notes ocasionally. Rest is super smooth :)
Maybe that will help you!
Cheers,
Phil
Hi Giulio,
maybe you should also experiment with the volume of your guitar. With volume at 10, some guitars give harsh trebles. Try to roll it down at 9, maybe you’ll find that your tone is more balanced.
Hi Bjorn,
Apologies for what might be a dumb question. I have several tube amps that I swap around on a regular basis when the mood takes me. Are any able to be used as a good starting point for a Gilmour tone platform?
Orange Rockerverb mk1
Vox AC30 top boost
Fender tweed deluxe
These amps are used in a band setting but I’d be chasing the DG tones at home so the laney lionheart does look appealing if a new amp is on the cards.
The Fender Tweed Deluxe should be a nice Gilmour type amp. David’s been using similar amps since the 90s in the studio and on several guest appearances and smaller gigs. The Lionheart is somewhat similar, with a clean channel that’s based on a AC30 but not identical and the gain channel is very similar to those early Marhsall/Fender Bassman/Deluxe type of tones.
Hi,
you don’t use the effects’s loop?
do you out your effects like chorus and delay in front of the laney?
Yes. The loop is meant to be used if you’re using the amp for overdrive and distortion. In that case you want to have the modulations and delays in the loop for a clean signal. I run my amps clean or semi-clean so I have all of my pedals into the front end.
Yes. The loop is meant to be used if you’re using the amp for overdrive and distortion. In that case you want to have the modulations and delays in the loop for a clean signal. I run my amps clean or semi-clean so I have all of my pedals into the front end.
Hello Bjorn,hope this note find you doing well and your new solo release is a Big Winner for you!
I am finally ready to leave the Solid State World of Amps with my 2003 Fender Cyber Deluxe and move forward into a Tube based combo amp for my Music Room. It is just a bedroom but music room does sounds much better, LOL.
There are so many amps but I am focused on two at the moment. What is your experience or opinion with the Orange Rocker 15 or the Fender Bassbreaker 7?
I’m leaning toward the Orange Rocker 15 buy Have you tried either or what is your opinion of either and there use with Pedals? I don’t use an effects loop in fact I would prefer just going into the front end of any amp.
Thanks to you I have a built a very good pedal board. You have helped me and given me very good advise, now on to amps.
I would be going from 65 watts, Solid State and a 12″ speaker to a variable 15 watts , all tube and a 10″ speaker.
Let me know….
Walter
Hi Walter. Had some issues with the spam filter. Very sorry for the late reply.
Any of the amps listed here should do for David’s tones, bedroom setups and smaller clubs. Depends on what tones you need although most of them offer somewhat a similar platform for your pedals. Between the two you mention, I’d go for the Bassbreaker as it has more headroom for pedals. The Orange is more of a plug n play rock amp.
Thanks for the reply, Spam Filters can be a Challage at times for sure. When you said that the Orange Rocker 15 is a “Plug and Play Rock Amp” I am sorry to bother you but I don’t understand what that means? Are they not a good pedal platform? I like the ability to have 4 different Wattages from 15-7 & from 1-.5 watts using the Half Power and the Bedroom-Headroom switch especially since I’m playing in the bedroom setting only and I can’t get a natural Break Up from my Solid State Fender when pushed it creates a static or crackle sound I’m trying to eliminate by going with a tube amp. I also had asked about the Laney Cub series as I see you highlighted in this very good article too. Would the Cub series be a good pedal platform and the power scaling help in the bedroom?
Let me know when you can please and thank you.
Walter H.
The Cub is a great pedal platform and the power scaling is very efficient.
What I meant by plug-n-play is that it’s designed more as a plug your guitar straight into it and rock, rather than it being a typical pedal platform amp. Sure, you can use pedals with it and set the amp clean but I wouldn’t recommend it as a typically clean Fender/Hiwatt/Vox type of amp. I think Orange, Marshall etc often sound much better if you just use them as they meant to be used.
Hello again Bjorn hope you are well.
I wanted to thank you for your help and input along with the folks @ Laney. I pulled the trigger and purchased a Laney Cub 12 R combo amp to replace my Solid State Fender and I am loving it! My rig now sounds incredible and my pedal board now seems and feels brand new also. I understand there is a break in period for the speaker so it should only sound better in time. Anything special to help that process?
How would you best describe the sound make up of Cub range of amps? Also it seems like I don’t need as much compression as the Fender did does that sound right? In your opinion, what type pedals would you recommend using for the Cub?
My electric guitars are all humbucker equipped and two of them have coil split capabilities.
Any input, as always, would be appreciated. You have helped me so very much create some rich and warm tones with all your advise, Thank You…
Walter H.
Hi Walter! Breaking in the speakers takes a bit of time. As do tubes. Just need to play :) My only concern with the stock speakers are that they sound a bit flat so down the road you might want to replace them with something better, like Celestion G12H or V30s. Sonically I’d say that the Cub sounds similar to an early JMT or Plexi Marshall but not quite. See this feature for some tips on choosing the right pedals for different types of amps.
Bjorn, thanks again for the reply. My main question regarding pedals for the Laney Cub 12R is in the Overdrive/Boost style. I, like you, run my amp clean and use the pedals so I can use my Looper and capture all the tones coming through. With that being said which Overdrive style do you think will give me the best results. Do I want a Tube Screamer, a Klon a Blues breaker? These are just examples of tone types I’m using I think you will understand. You had said the Cub was a Plexi or JMT but not quite. Would a Plexi style of pedal be right?
Any input will be appreciated. All my modulation pedals are fine but I don’t have a Muff style pedal either as it wasn’t recommended with my previous Fender amp.
Thank you for your help…
Walter H…
The Cub can handle pretty much anything so it’s more a matter of what sort of tones you want. The Tube Screamer was designed to be used with a slightly to fully cranked amp. Using it alone can sound pretty thin and nasal. Personally I prefer something a bit more full range, like a BD2 or similar. The Wampler Plexi Drive is also very nice with the Cub.
I have an opportunity to buy a used Traynor closed back cab with a 12″ 60w Celestian Vintage 30 inside
will this be a good fit for the 20W Lionheart Head
I have been playing it through a Fender Hot Rod 12″ closed back and wanted to know if you thought the V30 would make a more positive impact on the sound
A matter of taste as always. I think you will find them quite different to what you’re used to though. I’m really liking them with my Lionheart but I also prefer the slightly darker Marshall kind of tones.
[Bjorn: …. as much of the compression and mid range lies in the cranked tubes and speakers. You don’t get that on low volume. ]
Hi Bjorn,
any way to get the speakers into compression without taking the volume to insane levels. Would 10″ code get into compression sooner that a 12″, for example? or would a preamp boost help?
would something like JHS’s little black amp box for series effects loops help?
On the topic of effects loops, doers your Lionheart come with series or parallel loop. Mine is parallel and I can’t figure out how to bypass the parallel without a mod and voiding my warranty, I am missing the series, but may be it’s just a curse of habit from my using other amps and I have to get used to the parallel? If you have a parallel on your Lionheart, any tip on what you set at back of the amp to use it with delay and modulation?
best regards as always
See this feature for some tips on getting a bigger sound in your bedroom.
Oh… I don’t use the loop and have never really explored it so I can’t tell… sorry.
Hi Bjorn! Any preference between the Fender Bassbreaker series or the Hot Rod series? I’m considering a Bassbreaker 45 (with variable wattage and I can bridge the normal and bright inputs) or a Hot Rod Deluxe III.
Also – are you familiar with Hi-Tone amps? Looks like they’re based on Hi-Watts and are endorsed by the Reeves family (according to their website). I’m also considering their HT50 DG combo, but it’s considerably more expensive than the others. Thanks for your time and all of the hard work you put into this awesome site!
The Bassbreaker is sort of a modern take on the Bassman. Much similar to the Blues Jr. Hard to tell which to choose really as they’re somewhat similar. I’d try them both and decide.
The Hi-Tone is probably as close as you’ll get to the original early 70s Hiwatts together with the Reeves Custom amps. Highly recommended. Expensive but hand made and with superior part.
Thanks for your reply Bjorn. Based on your recommendations above I think I’m going to give the Laney Cub 15 a shot. Looks like I can get a head for a pretty good deal and run it through a Mesa 2×12 cab with V30s (should sound ok, right?). Looks like this is a good option for both bedroom and small clubs while I’m saving up for a Hi-Tone HT50. Cheers Bjorn!
Great! The V30s are slightly darker than the stock speakers so you might need to tweak your setting a bit to compensate.
Hey, Bjorn
You said once you’re not fond of Vox amps in gilmour context. Along with that you highly recommend and use Lionheart series, which has that Vox flavour as you said. Can you comment on that?)
The Lionheart and especially the clean channel, is very similar to a AC30. But, unlike the AC30, the Lionheart has a 3 band EQ allowing for much more low end and not least mid range, which makes all the difference. I’m not saying you can’t use a Vox for David’s tones, but you need to drive them hard to get the smooth and fat tone. On lower bedroom volume they sound too thin and scooped as much of the compression and mid range lies in the cranked tubes and speakers. You don’t get that on low volume. The Lionheart can be driven pretty hard even on low volume. The dirt channel is much more of a JTM/Bassman, which is very different.
Hi Bjorn – what a great resource! Wish I had found this years ago. I know there are a lot of variables, but in general, would you expect a Mesa TC-50 to take a Big Muff well? I love the versatility of the amp, but I’ve tried several fuzzes through the clean channel and just can’t seem to get a good sound from them. Any thoughts/suggestions? Cheers!
Thanks for the kind words! Mesa tend to be more on the Fender side, meaning that they have less mid range and compression compared to a Marshall or Hiwatt. The amp should be able to handle fuzz and Muffs though but you need to be careful with the treble and do also boost the mids a bit on the amp. Most fuzz and Muffs pedals also like a bit of bite from the amp, so find the right balance between clean and some tube grit without actually distorting. As I’m sure you are aware, all vintage style pedals prefer a true bypass chain. Buffers can make these sound thin and harsh.
Hello, Bjorn! Thanks for all the great work and knowledge! I´ve been following your website for as long as I can remember, and I love your music too!
I´d like to suggest a toppic. What are the best speakers to get the DG sound? I ask that because where I live there´s no way to try WEMs, and it´d be cool to know what gets the job done, regarding more conventional speakers.
Sorry if you have emerged this topic before, but I think i´ve read everything here, and never found anything on speakers!
Thanks a lot!
Take care!
Thanks for the kind words!
Speakers are tricky because it obviously depends on the amp. I can recommend a distortion pedal that pretty much fits any amp and guitar but placing the wrong speakers in the wrong amp can cause some seriously horrible tones. Although David usually use a Hiwatt with Fane speakers there’s no reason why you can use a Hiwatt with say V30s which are very different. It will sound right with the right guitar, pickups and pedals. But thanks for the tip! I’ll certainly consider it for a topic!
Hi Bjorn!
I’m trying to get either a fender blues deluxe reissue or a Hiwatt hi gain 50. Any input to put me in right direction will be appreciated.
Kind regards,
Very different sounding amps. What sort of tones are you looking for? What kind of guitar and pickups do you have?
Hello Bjorn!
On your advice, I have purchased the Laney Cub 12 head and matching cab and I am absolutely amazed by how good it sounds. On that note however, I was just curious about whether or not switching the speakers out for a closer Gilmour sound was necessary. From what I have gathered, David was using Fane Crescendo speakers for most of the 70’s. So, in your infinite wisdom, what speakers should I choose to get closest to his sounds or will the stock speakers in the cab do a close enough job? Thank for the fountain of information and the time put into the site!
Ben
Thanks for the kind words Ben! Yes he did use Fanes but those are very bright and they have a hige headroom. It’s a nice upgrade but it will change the character of the amp completely. It might be better and a more safe choice to upgraxde for something similar as to the stock speakers, like V30s or G12H. They will sound considerably better than the stock speakers, without strying too far from the original character. As for Gilmour’s tones, a lot can be done with the right pickups and pedals.
Would a 5 watt Fender ’57 Custom Champ make a good pedal platform for home and studio settings?
No. It’s a plug and play amp. Just being honest.
Hi Bjorn,
Firstly thank you for all your work in creating such as wonderful resource here. I only recently found the site and am staggered at the amount of information.
I have a question which I would be grateful if you could give me your opinion on…
I need to get a new amp for home use, what you could call a ‘bedroom setup’. It would make my life much easier if I could use headphones when I need to be wife and family friendly. I am looking for some nice Gilmour tones and will use a few pedals. I am drawn to the idea of a nice tube amp but I have no chance to try anything out living a long way from guitar civilisation so my preconceived ideas may not reflect current amp technology.
Having had a Fender Twin some years ago which I believe may have caused structural damage to my house! and I am now wary of anything too loud. I was looking at a Laney but see they don’t have a headphones socket. From what I can tell it seems the Boss Katana or a perhaps a Bugera V5 would work. Can you tell me your view or suggest any other ideas?
Many thanks in advance,
Richard
Thanks for the kind words, Richard! The Boss Katana is really impressive and it’s got all kinds of features and tones and it can take pretty much any pedal. I don’t have that much experience with Bugera but it’s a nice amp for bedrooms with a nice vintage tone. I also want to recommend the Laney Lionheart Studio 5. A bit more pricy perhaps but a very fine amp and ideal for bedroom and home recording.
Hi Bjorn, and thanks – again! – for all of your hard work and great insight. While my Strat is – finally! – in the workshop for a much-needed overhaul, I’ve started saving up for an amp to go with it. Previously (i.e. 1994-2010), I made do with a Marshall Valvestate 8040V combo, which wasn’t bad, but this time I’ve decided I need something that will be a good and versatile amp; my tastes lean towards British-style tonal qualities, and I need an amp that will satisfy the following criteria:
1. It’ll have to sound great on its own, even without pedals.
2. It’ll have to provide adequately low-power settings (0.5W~2W lowest setting, while the other settings will have to include 5W) for “bedroom” and small studio use.
3. It’ll need to have a British-style voicing (something in the Hiwatt-Marshall-Orange tradition).
4. It’ll need to have an FX loop.
5. It’ll need to have separate pre-amp gain and master volume controls.
7. It’ll need to have a full array of tone controls (bass, middle & treble).
8. It’ll have to be readily available in my country.
9. If it’s a combo, its retail price shouldn’t exceed 1100 euros; if it’s a head-cabinet combination, the price should be no more than 1500 euros.
A decent emulated speaker DI output will be greatly appreciated, but I can live without it.
This means I have to practically rule out Fender’s offerings. Sadly, although I absolutely love the specification of Hughes & Kettner’s Tubemeisters (both the 18W and the 20W Deluxe heads), there’s no dealership for them in Greece, so I’m afraid I have to rule them out as well. The same goes for Reeves and Hiwatt. Furthermore, for entirely practical reasons, I prefer combos.
So, I’m left with the following options (in alphabetical order):
1. Blackstar HT-20R MkII (combo)
2. Laney Cub12R (combo)
3. Laney L5-Studio head with Laney LT112 cabinet
4. Marshall Origin 20C (combo)
5. Marshall DSL5C (combo)
6. Victory V40 The Duchess head with Victory V112-CC cabinet
If you had these six amps to choose from, how would you order them from best to worst? Thank you in advance, and I apologize for bombarding you with so many questions.
I’m sorry but I don’t have the capacity or time to answer this in such detail. Try to narrow it down a bit and I’ll try to help.
Yes, I guess I should shorten the question a fair bit. Here goes:
1. Blackstar HT-20R MkII (combo)
2. Laney Cub12R (combo)
3. Marshall Origin 20C (combo)
4. Marshall DSL5C (combo)
5. Victory V40 The Duchess head with Victory V112-CC cabinet
If you had to choose one of these amps (always with a Gilmour-style sound in mind), which one would it be?
I don’t have that much experience with the Victory, so I can’t really comment on that one. The DSL5C is a really good amp that can do both vintage and more mondern Marshall tones. A bit bright but it can handle pedals pretty well. The Cub is perhaps closest to those early JTM Marshalls and Fender Bassmans. Very dynamic and great sounding. I also want to recommend the Laney Lionheart L5T combo. A step up from the Cub, extremely versatile and great with pedals.
Thank you, I’ll keep these ones in mind!
As others said there is already a comprehensive list just above and your question is very long and specific. But I have read it and will try to chip in too.
I wouldn’t recommend your option 1 since blackstar has some strange things going on with their circuit. At least the mk1, which I had previously and really did not like.
2-4-5 I can’t say anything about.
option 6 victory 40 I wouldn’t recommend since your are looking for a small amp. 40 watts is overkill, unless you really like the sound and want to buy an attenuator. Again, extra cost..
Go for the Laney L5. The combo has no power attenuation , but the L5 studio head has. It fits your budget. It fits your power requirements and all of your other requirements (DI, fx loop etc). And, most importantly, it sounds really good.
I have the L5 studio and matching cab, bought it on Bjorns recommendation and I am absolutely happy with it.
Holy smokes I’ve been reading this site for years and that has to be the most complicated request I’ve ever seen. The great news is that Bjorn has carefully curated a list of his recommendations on this very page, all you got to do is scroll up a bit.
Hi Bjorn,
Which distortions/muffs would you feel would work best with Boss Katana amps?
See this feature for some tips on choosing the right pedals for different types of amps.
Hi Bjorn,
Thank you for all the great articles, your site is a real goldmine! Wich one would you choose between Reeves Custom 50 and new Hiwatt Custom 50? I play at home but I have a Torpedo attenuator to spare my ears & neighbours.
Did you try the latest Reeves Vintage Purple Fane clone speakers?
Cheers!
At bedroom levels I don’t think it matters as you wouldn’t be able to drive the amp hard enough, which would put the amp on a test but all I can say is that I’m very happy with the Reeves. I haven’t done an A/B with the new Hiwatts but I feel my Reeves is as close as I can get to the old 70s models. Do check out Hi-Tone as well.
Hey I got a question.
What amp would you recommend for the wall
Both album and live?
Between $400 to $1000
Any of the ones I’ve listed will do. How it eventually ends up sounding depends on how you set it up, what guitar, pickups and pedals you use. My best tips though are the Laney Cub and Lionheart amps. Great value and tone.
I just purchased a Laney L5 Studio. What changes would you recommend for the best Gilmour sound? Swapping tubes?
Are there anything you feel is missing? Swapping tubes is a minor change and you might not even notice it. I like to have JJ Electronic tubes in all of my amps but that’s a matter of taste. Not sure what Laney are using these days. You could do a speaker swap but again, it depends on what you feel is missing. The amp should be a versatile platform with the right settings so I’d much rather look at pickups and pedals if you need to change something that will make a bigger change.
Does anyone on here know if there is a difference in the Laney Lionheart L5 Studio Amp Heads? I ordered one and it arrived today with a black handle. Every one of them I’ve seen, including the photos on the sellers website as well as the Laney website show a beige handle. I’m just wondering if this is merely cosmetic or, is there other differences. I contacted Laney but haven’t heard back yet.
Thanks-
Hmmm…. haven’t seen that before.
Received a response from Laney:
Thanks for the enquiry
Some of them have black handles as the cream handle became obsolete. Latest versions have been re-designed with a blue handle. The handle is the only difference, the amp is completely the same.
I bought a 20H here in Canada a few months ago — On Bjion’s many mentions of the amp — Thank you Bjorn — the amp does not have a bad sound and is so quiet
It came with a cream handle. I had heard and read about the handles disintegrating into bits and pieces
I looked for replacement to keep as spare and could not find one.
Opened the screws, took the handle out to a local shop dealing with leathers and stuff
They made one beautiful handle for me with genuine cream-beige-coloured leather :-)
Hi!
The beige handles are poor quality, and it’s been a problem that they kind of dissolves into something like bread crumbs… Spreading all over the amp head.
I’ve seen several or many of the used ones have that issue, and some handles even broken of. This due to the heat produced from the head, wearing down the handle.
I bought a used L20H a couple of years ago with the same problem. I managed to get hold of a original spare handle! The only place I could find it was from Andertons in the UK. And it was even at a reasonable price!
But I was interested in buying another head, that had a broken handle, only a month ago. So I looked to Andertons again, but they were out of stock. So I contacted them to see if they would be able to get more of the handles.
But no… They even checked for me at their supplier, but they had stopped producing it!
I checked all over the internet (pretty big undertaking:-D) too, if I could find a original spare. But nothing!
So my guess, since you got a black handle is that Laney maybe finally have changed the type of handle to a more standard, maybe durable type on their Lionheart series.
Even though the beige is a pretty detail, it’s been a weak spot on this Amps.
Just a guessing on my part, since you’re not able to get a hold on a beige handle anywhere:-)
But I guess the sound of the amp is still the same! ?
Mine is black too, I just got the amp. Perhaps this is just how they are making them now. I didn’t even notice until your said something but it is beige in the pics where in ordered from. No big deal the amp is amazing.
Black or dark blue? I got one with a dark blue handle. Like on the pictures of this site: https://www.musicstore.de/nl_NL/EUR/Laney-Lionheart-L5-Studio-USB-Head-/art-GIT0034443-000?campaign=GShopping/NL&ProgramUUID=IXDAqJarERAAAAFlFwJyjI9B&campaign=GShopping/NL&ProgramUUID=3JDAqJarGAIAAAFl3F5yjI9A&gclid=CjwKCAjw1dzkBRBWEiwAROVDLA4y6HqrEIhUHOIjj-0U2ZDlmWvgvYUCumctKG7dF1T3K2kMizMkFxoCqBEQAvD_BwE
this is only upgrade of handle… but early handles was poor quality
Hey Bjorn, thanks so much for the advice on amp selection. Your have helped me so much with my tone and playing but I have a question. I’m upgrading to a laney l5 head from a hughes and kettner tubemeister 5. Do you have any advice in regards to the laney as to which input is best and some basic starting points for eq and tone settings? I’m playing on a suhr strat with single coils mainly using an iron bell right now for division bell and dark side tones. Thank you!
Glad to help, Al! I usually use the gain channel on the Lionheart. It has enough headroom, a bit more mids and compression. Try this for a start:
hi input, gain channel, bright on, gain 8:00, volume as desired, bass and mids 3:00, treble 9:00, tone 10:00.
Thanks so much! The laney l5 studio just showed up yesterday and you were right on in your description of its tone. I will experiment and try your tips, thank you as always for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us! I love your site and youtube!
Awesome!
Hi Bjorn, thank you so much for sharing your knowledges with all of us.
I have a Laney L5 Studio for a few months, and use it with my Strat Plus (Lace Sensor Gold pick-ups), into the “Hi” in.
Most of the time i use the drive channel, with drive set just below 3, so I keep a clean tone and have a little bit more mid-range than the clean channel.
At home it’s great. Most of the time, i set a volume lower than 5 on the amp, and between 7 and 10 on the strat. I notice that, with the Strat volume at 10, the valves start to distort with the amp volume at 6 (so the maximum loud clean tone I can get is with drive just below 3 and drive volume just below 6).
The only complaints I have is that :
– the lows are really flabby,
– the tonal balance dramatically changes when the volume is pushed beyond 6. In this case there is far too much lows (especially with the neck pick-up). I can turn the lows all the way down but they are still flabby, giving some muddy tone.
Did someone noticed it ?
Is there a way to enhance how I use it ?
Thanks a lot Bjorn
JIM
Teh Lionheart has a lot of lows but not overly so compared to other amps in the same tone range. It depends on how you set the EQ and the balance between the pre and master volume/gain and, what speakers and pickups you use. This is a Class-A, which can be a bit overwhelming if you’re not used to it. A lot of tone and punch but great dynamics and a very open tone.
Your pickups have a medium output so a bit more than typical vintage ones.
What’s your amp settings? All of the controls?
What speakers do you have?
Where have you positioned the amp? Keep in mind that corners and floor resonate low end.
Hi Bjorn and thank you for your answer,
Actually I noticed those big flabby lows a few weeks ago when I did my first gig. It was in a big barn on a stage (without PA), and the cab was not in a corner. It was the first time I really pushed the amp beyond 6, and I was confused by the tone that was so different from the rehearsals (below 5). I had to push the “Tone” control at the max to compensate.
The setting was something like this : drive channel, gain 3, bass 6, mids 7, treble 5, volume 8, the tone control was at noon at the beginning and I pushed it during the gig. I don’t remember if the Bright was engaged.
The cab is a Hiwatt LR112 equipped with a 150W chinese Fane “FHG-12-150” (it will be soon changed for a 75W Fane made in UK). After the gig, I had to make tests at home to know if the room of the gig was the origin, or maybe the cab, or maybe the 5W output that I was using for the first time…
5W AND 0,5W OUTPUT : I did some tests and I can’t really hear any difference in the tone of those two outputs (sound pressure difference is approx. 10 db(Z)@ 1m).
ROOM : At home I have the same feeling when I push it beyond 6, the tonal balance drastically changes, and I have to set the bass Eq on 2 and push the Tone control (the cab is on the floor, in a middle of a wall and at approx 80cm from this wall). Since then, I changed a little bit my pick-ups’ height to better suit the amp.
CABINET : I did A/B tests with the L5 and a Hiwatt T20/10 Mk III (same guitare, same cab, same location) : for the same sound pressure, the Hiwatt gives far better tight lows with this cab. It’s probably because of a stronger power unit…
I’ll see what will happen when I’ll have the UK Fane, maybe it will be advantageous.
I made some other tests with the Laney, in particular by by-passing the preamp thanks to the “FX-loop return”. I’m now sure that those big flabby lows come from the last power stage (V3 + V4 and power unit). That’s why the “Tone” control helps, because it sits between V3 and V4…
Maybe I’ll change V3 and V4, i don’t know, because this character may come from the power unit (a small power unit can’t handle low frequencies like a big one).
With your Lionheart, do you also feel that the tonal balance drastically changes when volume goes from 5 to 8 ?
Thanks
JIM
Hey Bjorn!
I’m thinking about a small tube amp for gilmourish sound. I’m between a Fender Bassbreaker 15, Peavey Classic 20 Minihead and a Laney L5 Studio. I’m tending to get the Laney for its quality and features, but price and 5W are not that attractive. What do you think?? And how do you think a Laney Cub would compare to all these others, since has no recording features but is close to the L5? Thank you!
How and where will you be using the amp?
Mostly home, recording and small jams… I already have a katana 100 but I’m not entirely happy. The bassbreaker have cool features, but I’m afraid I’ll be stuck to a katana-like tone, since the crunch Chanel of the katana is based on the bassman. I’m thinking in getting a laney cub 212, record on 1w for some lunch and just mic if I need to on larger gigs. What do you think?
I really can’t praise the Lionheart amps enough and I think you’ll be very happy with that one. That being said, the Cub is a great British voiced amp, with a nice vintage touch. Kind of a JTM/AC30/Hiwatt type of amp.
I just wanted to chime in and let you know that I think the Peavey classic 20 does an excellent job for Gilmourish tones at the bedroom level. 1w is plenty low, but eve at 5w, it is still low enough at my house to not bother the wife and kids. At 5w, I can dial in some fantastic Gilmour tones. I have a Hi-Tone 50w for my band setting and the Peavey compares very nicely for home use. I would highly recommend it.
Hey Bjorn,
2 questions: first, have you ever played the Hiwatt Little Rig/Little D? If so, thoughts?
Second, how does the Cub go with the Keeley Darkside?
Thanks again, as always
Sam
Yes, do a search on the site to see my comments on the Little D. The Dark Side will work nicely on both amps.
Hi, Thanks for information.
Bjorn,
I apologize in advance if this has already been covered. I didn’t see it in the posts though. I just wanted to share info with the community. I own a HiTone HT50 and love it, but is is obviously way to much for the bedroom. I have been on a quest for a while now for a bedroom amp that won’t break the bank. I have tried several, including an H&K 18w, Superchamp XD to name a few. I was about to try out the cub, but gave the Peavey Mini 20 a roll first. I have a classic 50 and it does great Floyd tones, but again very loud. I wanted a good all around amp for band practice as well as good Floyd tones for practice. I have to say the Mini 20 is great. Paired with the 112 cab with V30, it covers all above. It is a great classic rock amp, but I have been able to dial in some great Floyd tones at bedroom levels. The 1 watt is really solid. It is a bit compressed for me, but its 1 watt and does more than the job on most any Floyd tones I throw at it. For Wall tones, I throw an Iron fist, M1, Elec Lady, and flashback and it sounds great. I throw my Tube Driver in front of it and crank the gain on the pedal and it does Castellorizon perfectly. I will say 5w is where it really shines for bedroom sounds. It might be a little loud for some, but I find it fine in my house and it opens up quite a bit from 1w. At 20watts it kept up fine in the mix for our band practice. We do classic rock and have a loud drummer. The cleans on 20w are nice and lush. I am not sure if it is the v30 instead of the blue marvels or the amp itself, but the sound is quite a bit better than my classic 50. At least to my ears. I wouldn’t call it a budget rig, but it won’t break the bank either. I got the head and cab in like new condition for 600 US. For anyone looking for a versatile amp, that covers classic rock and blues well, sounds great for Floyd and can be played at home as well, I think it is a hard amp to beat. Lastly, it can be plugged strait into the PA or your recording pre amps as well. No speaker needed. If you ever get a chance to play one, I would really love to hear your opinion of the Peavey Classic 20.
Hi Bjorn. Can you give me some tips on Fender bassbreker to play Pink Floyd sounds? How much gain in the clean channel and eq? Thank you!
That depends on what pickups and pedals you use and in what sort of environment you’re using the amp… bedroom, recording, band, stage?
I use a Fender MIM Standart Strato with original pickups, Ehx Crayon, Mooer Black Secret, Ehx Green Russian Big Muff and I play in my bedroom.
OK, hard to suggest accurate settings obviously but set it up for a clean tone, with the mids and bass fairly high. Probably around 2-3 o’clock and maybe higher on the mids. Keep the treble low, start around 9:00. Not quite sure how the gain and master interact with the 3 different tone mods but try to raise the gain as high as you can without getting overdrive and then add master.
Thanks Bjorn, help me a lot! Realy works!
Hi Bjorn.
I have a Boss Katana 50 and MIM Standard Strat. Which do you feel would be better for my amp and pickups; a Big Muff or a ProCo Rat?
Rat would be easier to set up but it depends on what tones you want and need. See this feature for some tips on choosing the right pedals for different amps.
Thank you for the reply. I wasn’t sure where that amp would classify in the MIDS scheme of things, so I purchased a few variations of OD and distortion to experiment. I am currently favoring a EHX Big Muff Green Russian with Soul Food combo. I tried a BD-2 with the BMGR, but I couldn’t get the sustain without a huge volume variation between clean and engaged. The Soul Food can push it a bit so the unity can be dropped a bit more, for me at least.I can get close enough to an Animals/Wall tone and still get great early Sabbath! I still need something a little more fuzzy though for older tones. The Big Muff nano (NYC) had the “break up” but without focus or definition that I wanted with my setup.
Hi Keith. I recommend both, but if you have to choose, ProCo Rat is more versatile. Test the Mooer Black Secret, a cheaper version with excellent quality.
Thanks Bruno. I haven’t tried a Rat yet, I ended up pretty happy with a Big Muff Green Russian and a Soul Food, but do need something for the fuzzier pre Animals tones. Thanks for the suggestion on the Black Secret. As far as Rats go, is the new ProCo Rat 2 a different animal all together than the one listed here on Gilmourish?
Hi Bjorn,
I really like the Comfortably Numb Pompei 2016 tone.
Which amp would you most reccomend for playing at home?
Based on your previous feedback I’m currently looking at the Laney L5 Studio or L5T-112.
Thanks!
Yes, that would be a good choice I think. Check out this feature for some tips on choosing the right amp and pedals.
Hi Bjorn, you have probably been asked this before but how would you set up a blues jr? I have a tweed jr 3. thanks, stephen
Depends entirely on your pikcups, pedals and how and where you’ll be using the amp. In general I would be careful with the treble. Keep it low, with the bass and mids raised a bit over flat. I’d also try to set it up for a hint of pre gain bite but still clean. The Jr, and especially the Tweed, can be a bit bright and flabby in the lower end, so again, it depends on the factors described above.
Hello Bjorn! Which amp do you think it’s better to play floyd, ac30 c2x or hiwatt hi-gain 100? Thanks for help
I would say the Hiwatt but it depends on how you’ll be using the amp. An AC30 can be more than enough but not ideal for a typical bedroom setup as it would need some volume to compress and get that mid range.
Have you tried any Dr. Z amps?
Very briefly.
Lots of great Dr Z amps. No clones all original designs based on classics, kind of the same mentality that Buffalo FX takes on effects. The discontinued KT-45 is a great platform for effects, with a very clean EF-86 front end based on the Vox AC50 and a power section based on Hiwatts. I play the Therapy – it’s a fresh take on the low powered tweed twin type sound, but with cleaner cleans and a more flexible E.Q. section. Great platform for effects and a great master volume if you want some tweed flavored overdrive from your amp.
They also make a lot of amps that are fresh takes on the classic Vox sound, but I haven’t tried a lot of those as I haven’t ever figured out how to make the Vox sound work for me.
Thanks. Any recommendations for a good Gilmour Dr. Z? Was looking at Maz, Plus, Lux, etc.
I know this is old, so no idea if you’ll see this or even care at this point, but in case you (or anyone else) does: I personally have a Dr Z. Maz 18 jr 2×12 (it’s technically a combo, but the head was removed and placed into its own cab, so it’s a stack now I suppose). Celestion speakers, forget which, and has the dr z attenuator built in (an absolute *must* – this thing screaaammmms, even at 18w it honestly competes w/ my old 50w marshall jcm). Anyway, I don’t know exactly what I’d compare it do, but the thing manages to be capable of soooo many tones. Direct-in is just beautiful for cleans and classic blues tones, but it takes pedals like a champ, and with the help of this site in determining pedals (along w/ having a gilmour black strat I customized to be about as exact as possible), it does more justice than just about anything else for the gilmour/floyd sound.
The amp itself is also just very…. responsive. Elastic (?), or buoyant (?) almost (if that makes sense – I can’t really think of how best to explain it. But it’s like… it feeds off you and your guitar, and you feed off it, and it all combines to affect not just your tone but even your playing. It just has some “it” factor that my JCM 800, 2000, AC15, and Orange tiny terror never had (it almost made them feel sterile in the same way most tube amps make most solid states feel)
Hello,
tks for this site :)
did you tried Supro amps ? i’ve made a clone of vibroverb SE amp with 6v6 power stage.
wonderful clean and warm crank
Never tried them
Hi Bjorn,
I have the laney L5 studio head. Do you have any recommondations for a 10″ speaker that would suit it well and gilmour tones in mind?
I haven’t used 10″ speakers that much so I can’t really tell. What about a single 12″ cab? I think you get much more headroom that way. The Lionhearts go very well with V30s and G12H Celestions.
I have had a 1×12 with g12m greenback. Was quite loud tbh for home use. SO now I purchased a 10″ cab with a celestion ten 30. Volume wise I am a happy person since I can crank it up more before my desk starts to shake. However the speaker leaves a bit to be desired. It gets a bit fizzy on distortions.
So I thought maybe something that would resemble g12h, or v30 in a 10″ speaker could help.
Are you using pedals or the amp for gain?
Hey Bjorn, thank so much for responding by the way, it amazes me how you are able to give tips personally still with so much people on your site!
Regarding the 10″ cabinet. I have decided to return the 10″ one and just went ahead with the matching lionheart 1×12 combo with G12h – 30 speaker in it. Sounds so much better, albeit a bit louder when I try to cook the tubes. Volume 4 or something is the max or my closets starts shaking. The 0.5w input is ok to open it up more to get power tube saturation, but it seems to me the 5w input is so much better and livelier than the 0.5w.
So now my full setup is as follows:
– Mexican classic player 50’s strat with tex mex pickups
– mexican classic player 60’s strat with grey bottom custom ‘inspired’ 69 pickups. (not a fan of these by the way).
– Mooer elec lady pedal (love it)
– Mooer blues mood (love it)
And of course the lionheart l5 studio + the lt112 matching cab
But seriously, how do you play the 2×12 at home? When I go past 4-5 on the 1×12 my desk and drawers start shaking :).
Now I think I just need pedals to add to the collection. I’ve tried the green russian ehx, really (REALLY) nice sound, but a bit challenging to tame.
I’m definitely going to pick up the tc flashback delay. And maybe try to find an alternative to the green russian for heavier tones. Any recommendations on that one?
Yes, the 5w allow more of the output stage of the amp, so that will probably sound better.
I use my bigger amps in our studio so I can pretty much crank them without being concerned with neighbours. At home I use smaller amps and plugins for demo stuff.
Big Muffs are aggressive by nature although the Green Russian is one of the less aggressive ones. You might want to check out a more mellow sounding overdrive like a Boss BD2, Fulltone OCD or, a favourite of mine, the Vick Audio Tree of Life. All of these can pretty much do anything from clean boost to overdrive and distortion.
Yeah, the green russian certainly was a beast, but smooth at the same time. I will try your recommendations, and regarding the green russian… it may come back in the collection in the future, since i’m missing that huge and smooth sound.
Thanks so much again!
Hi Bjorn
What do you think of the Orange Dark Terror or Micro terror ?
Are they suitable for good clean tones?
You can get some clean tones with them but they’re really designed for tube gain and rock tones. I wouldn’t recommend them for Gilmour tones.
Hi Gilles,
I have the Dark Terror and I have to say that it’s extremely flexible. I play loads of clean tones through it (including Pink Floyd). People have the tendancy to write off Orange amps as unrelaiable in the clean tone department. Try one out yourself and trust me youll be surprised!
Hello Bjorn! Any thoughts about the new Laney LA100SM which is apparently a reproduction of the SUPERGROUP from the late 60’s? Do you think it can be close to a Hiwatt DR 103? Thanks for all that you do!
I’ve never played a Super Group so I can’t really tell. Based on the reviews I’ve seen it seems to have a bit more breakup and perhaps less mids than a Hiwatt but I might be mistaken.
Thanks Bjorn! I’m looking for a second amp preferably a combo. I have a Laney L5 studio directly connected to the sonorisation system. But for some venues, this configuration won’t suit. So I need a small combo that will be mic. I don’t want to invest too much money in this second amp. Do you think that a Cub 12R with V30 and JJ Tubes can be close to my L5 sound ? Is it better to go with a Blues Junior or something close? Thank you in advance! Max
I guess the Cub would be closer but I’m not sure if I’d trust it on a gig or at least travelling. It’s more of a practise amp at home. Not familiar with the V30.
Thanks for the reply! A friend of mine sells a 1994 Peavey Classic 30 (2( years and still alive!). Do you think it’s a better choice for the same price than the Cub 12r?
The Peavey is certainly better for live gigs and touring but soundwise they’re two different amps. I really love the Classic 30. It’s very easy to set up and it takes all kinds of pedals. The Cub has a distinct vintage character. Great amp but I wouldn’t trust it for gigging.
Hi Bjorn,
I own a Laney Lionheart L5 top with a 1×12 cabinet which has a Celestion Blue speaker installed. Do you findr this speakerto be matching well with the cab. Or would you rather swap it for an othert Celestion speaker? Say for example a G12 greenback or V30?
I haven’t tried the Blue so I can’t really tell. I swap between G12H and V30 and both, although different sounding, fist the amp very well.
I have the same L5 with a greenback g12m-25 watt. I think volume wise its good for home, but soundwise, it is a bit lacking it seems. It feels a bit dark even with telecasters.
I’ll try and get the g12h, since that one seems brighter on reviews and used in the official laney cabs. the v30 is excellent for higher gain, but is 70 watt or something which gets a lot louder and not usable for my personal home setup.
The G12H has a bit more sparkle in the higher mids so that might be a better option for playing at home, yes. Still, I don’t find the Lionheart dark at all. Here’s my main settings: hi input, gain channel, bright on, gain 2, volume as desired, bass and middle 8, treble 2, tone 4. This is a great platform for most of my pedals. Obviously it depends on what pedals and pickups you use and, the louder you play, the more the amp will open up.
Hi Bjørn
Are this amp settings for Lionheart something you use both for the L5 and for the L20H?
Txh for all your efforts and sharing of knowledge! ?
BR
Bjørnar
Try them. Settings depends on a lot of things but it should give you a start.
Hey
Just Curious, i am looking at a Orange rocker 32 combo as i am trying to kill two birds with one stone and get a nice clean sound that i can use for gilmour style things (with my pedal rig to get into the fuzz stuff) and something that is a hi gain, do you think that the clean channel on the orange would be able to get me into the gilmour range?
Thanks Bjorn
TJ
I haven’t tried that particular model so I can’t really tell.
Hi Bjorn,
Any plans to review the Blackstar Studio 10 EL34/6L6/KT88? Love the site, it’s provided me with hours of enjoyment.
Best,
Joe
Thank you! No plans at the moment.
Hey Bjorn! I was just wondering what your opinion is on using a Marshall DSL40 to get Gilmour’s 70’s era (Meddle to The Wall) HIWATT tones?
Depends on your guitar/pickups and pedals. Obviously a modern Marshall is a very different amp than a vintage Hiwatt. The DSL can certainly be tweaked to something similar but to my ears it’s a bit too compressed and bright sounding. Again, it all depends on your pickups and pedals. Try setting the amp as clean as pissoble, with a bit of mids and bass boost and the treble rolled considerably back.
Hey Bjorn,
I’m considering a Hiwatt T40. Problem is, they aren’t available here in Australia so I can’t try one out. I trust your reviews, so I’m not worried about it with regards to my pedals, my main concern is hum. I’ve got one of their Maxwatt G100R amps and it is absolutely atrocious for hum. Really bad. How’s the hum on Tube series? Is there less chance of hum with a head/cab vs a combo?
Also, have you ever tried Badcat Amps and if so, thoughts?
Thanks
Sam
PS. Drop this new album already!
Hi Sam!
I haven’t spent all that much time with the T40 so I can’t really tell whether it’s got hum or not. Obviously noise comes in many forms and it doesn’t have to be the amp. See the tone features for some tips on how to tackle noise. I didn’t notice any more hum that what I expected but don’t hold that against me. My experience with the T series is that they’re very good sounding farily cheap alternatives to the bigger Hiwatts. The Maxwatt amps are awful.
Do you have any experience with amplitube? Can we take good Gilmour’s tone with it?
I’ve used it briefly. I did upload some presets at one point. Maybe they’re still there. Search for Bjorn Riis or David Gilmour.
Hey Bjorn, love the site! I was thinking of getting a Laney 2×12 combo. Is the Laney head you have one of the older made in the UK ones or is it made in China? Sorry if you have answered this before!
Mine is UK. I haven’t tried the China ones so I can’t really tell. My experience with Laney is that always hold a high standard and, China is producing way better stuff than a few decades ago so I wouldn’t worry.
I have a Laney Lionheart L5T-112 5w Combo (Made in China) It sounds AMAZING and plenty loud for a 5W combo. It does the Gilmour stuff quite well IMO.
Bjorn, hi. Thanks as always for all the work you do here. I’m resurrecting this thread to report on my experience with the UK vs. Chinese Laney Lionheart L20t 112. I bought my Laney about a year and a half ago and didn’t realize it was made in China. (Laney is sneaky… the back panel reads “Designed and Engineered in the UK”.) Anyway, I liked the amp, but something about it always felt a little abrasive, especially in the highs. A few days ago I noticed that my local guitar dealer had the same amp, but a made in the UK version. He took my Liohneart and 200 bucks and I walked home with the amp I’d meant to buy 18 months ago.
There is a HUGE difference in the sound, in my humble opinion. The UK Laney is warmer. It’s easier to dial in a Fender-ish clean “sparkle,” especially at lower volumes (where it also compresses better). It also has a spring reverb, as opposed to the digital reverb in the Chinese version (which I found basically unusable). The only other real difference is the speaker. The Chinese Laney has a made-in-China Celestion 75th anniversary speaker; the UK version has a Celestion Greenback G12H. The Greenback just seems to be a better fit. The amp has that “it” factor… I can’t stop playing it (to my wife’s chagrin!).
I’m sorry for this long post. I know what a fan you are of the Lionheart and I thought you might like to know my experience. I played the two amps side by side at the guitar store; several roaming musicians agreed that the UK amp had a better, warmer sound. I’d been on the fence with my China-made Laney; but now I could not be happier. Gigging with my UK Laney tomorrow afternoon!
Thanks for sharing David!
I have only brief experience with the China version but I would assume that the speakers make the whole difference. As far as I know, the amp it self should be identical but yes, speakers makes a huge difference. I’ve also replaced the stock tubes in mine with JJs which I find much more fitting. I love this amp!
Yes, it must be the speaker. They also rewired the FX loop in the China version of the amp, but I don’t use the FX loop. The actual spring reverb (UK version) is far superior to the new “digital reverb” in the China version. Do you use the reverb on your Laney, or do you use a reverb pedal? Thanks, Bjorn! You’re the best.
Rarely use reverb. I have a TC HOF that I use for some special reverb effects but no reverb in general.
Which tubes did you use to replace the stock ones?
I use JJ Electronics in all my amps.
Do you use the ECC83S in all of the preamp spots or anything else like the ECC803S maybe in V1?
Usually just “plain” tubes.
Hi Bjorn, Just want to thank you for the great information on your site. I just got a Lionheart L5 studio based largely on your recommendation and must say I couldn’t be happier so far. This site also led me to Airbag and your solo work which are fantastic. Thanks again!
Awesome! Thank you Joe!
Hi Bjorn,
Thanks so much for all the great information!
I just bought a used black mexican strat and am having fender custom 69 pickups installed in the middle and neck position and an SSL-5 in the bridge position.
I have a few amps that I can choose from for trying to get the Gilmour tones you so describe here:
I have the following amps to choose from:
1) Peavey Classic 30 combo (mentioned above)
2) Crate Palomino V32 Class A 30W combo (US made)
3) Peavey Triumph 60 combo
I know you’ve already recommended the Peavey Classic 30, but wonder if you ever tried the others. The Palomino V32 has a Marshall-like tone, but a little darker.
I’d also like to know which Big muff you think would sound better – the electro-harmonix Green Russian or the new electro-harmonix triangle Big Muff pi?
I’ve only tried the Classic 30. It’s a great sounding amp and pedal platform. You can easily set it up for some nice Gilmour tones. I would go for the Green Russian. The Triangle will proably sound too aggressive for the amp.
Hi bjorn. I have a Laney TI15. I just love it, is a good pedals platform to, but his clean sound is not so good. With David Gilmour’s tones in mind, I want an amp that had a clean channel with a good clean sound, a good pedal platform and a drive channel with other possibilities of tones. I’m interested in Lionheart and Bassbreaker. Which one do you think will meet my needs? I play in my bedroom only.
The Lionheart for sure.
It hás been difficulty finding lionhearth in my country. But I found the Bassbreaker at a very good price. Will it give me a beautiful Fender clean sound and will work well with the pedals you recommend?
It’s definitely capable of classic Fender tones close to the Bassman. A bit more mids, compression and grit compared to a Twin. See this feature for some tips on choosing the right pedals for different amps.
Hi, been following this website for ages and I think it just might be the best website on the the entire internet.
Wondering what your opinions where on the Roland Blues Cube and how you would go about getting a Gilmour tone out of one.
Thanks
Thanks for the kind words! The Blues Cube is a great sounding amp and pedal platform. I would start with the clean channel. Set the channel volume at about noon and the EQ controls around noon as well. Maybe increase the bass and mids a hair or two and back down the treble a bit. The fine tuning depends on your guitar/pickups and pedals. Set the master to the desired volume. See this feature for some tips on choosing the right pedals for different amps.
Awesome resource you have here. I am getting a Lionheart L5 studio soon because it looks perfect for my needs. The matching cab that Laney makes is hard to get in the states, so are there any other cabs that would match well with the L5? Maybe a Fender Bassbreaker cab? Thanks
Any 1 or 2 12″ cab would do I guess. I prefer either V30s or G12H speakers. They seem to compliment the amp.
Any suggestions on what speakers should be put into my Hiwatt T20 combo to get a closer gilmour sound? More specifically his tones from the 70’s.
He used Fane Crescendo speakers so if you really want THAT tone, then search for similar models or clones. You want high wattage and lots of headroom. Keep in mind though that they are designed ror large cabinets and venues so you really need to drive them quite a bit to get them to open up. Otherwise they can sound fairly bright and flat.
Thanks for your response.
What are your thoughts on the Weber Thames or FC12? Are they somewhat a reasonable option as “Crescendo like” speakers?
I haven’t tried the FC12 but I’ve been using Weber Thames for years and they sound dead on my old Fanes with dust caps.
Hi Bjorn! ive been using your site for the past 4 years atleast but its the first time writing to you, and its, ofc, to ask for help :).
Im currently using this setup : Mex Strat Deluxe with an SSL-5, my pedals are, the TopTone DG2 (buyed thanks to you) TC elettronics Flashback (same as the DG2) a Trex comp-nova, Movall overdrive Minotaur (recommended by the store where ive buyed the strat, years ago, he plays Gilmour too) and the mini mooers, both ensemble king and the ninety orange.
the problem is, im using a VOX Valvetronix +20 and i just cant make it sound decent, i cant deal with the volume, the gain, the master and the power knob aswell, idk if im doing something wrong or it just the amp that cant keep up with the pedals.
The amp its 10 years old already,
bought it when i was just a teen and pedal-less :D
i really want to buy that Laney 12 cub stack, but im stil in doubt.
Any advice?
What’s the issue with the amp. What do you feel is lacking in the tone? My experience with smaller Vox amps is that they often sound thin, bright and lack that mid range you need for a lot of the typical Gilmour pedals and tones. You really need to drive Vox amps hard to make them sound big and fat. I can’t really praise the Lionheart amps enough. Awesome sounding amps and pedal platforms.
Hi Bjron, Hope you are doing good. I had a question about two amps: 1. Boss Katana 50 watts and 2. Laney Cube 12R. I understand both are different amps (transistor vs tube) and need, but how do you compare to each other, considering tight budget, do you recommend Boss Katana? It for bedroom hobby playing and considering Gilmou’s tone in general and looking for more versatile solution.
The Katana has effects built into it so in that sense, it’s more versatile I guess. Nice pedal platform too. The Cub is a more vintage sounding amp with a distinct tube flavour. I like both. Depends on what sort of tone and features you need.
What did you think of it?
Hi Bjorn, first a real big thank you for your amazing work on this website. I’m also a huge fan of your solo albums, can’t wait for the next one. Hope to see you in concert someday in France.
My question is: I hesitate between 2 heads to buy. Laney Lionheart L20 head and Hiwatt T40 head, both with their assorted 2×12 cabs. I plan in a Pink Floyd tribute Band, in venues from 500 to 2000 people. My amp is always « sounded » with a microphone to the sound system.
Witch one would you go for ?
Thanks for your reply.
Regards from France.
Thanks for the kind words, Cyril! Obviously, for both amps you’d have to mic the cabs and use fron monitoring. I swap between my Lionheart and Reeves/Hiwatt and both deliver on similar types of venues. Personally I think the Lionheart has more character, while the Hiwatt is no doubt a more Gilmour type of amp.
Hey Bjorn,
Great stufff as usual. Have tried a Marshall Origin 50?
Thanks! Yes I have.
Hey Bjorn. Could you tell is in Marshall Origin 50 enough headroom for good crystal cleans with loud drummer? Thanks!
I don’t have any experience with that amp so I can’t tell.
From the comment above, I understand that you tried it. Sorry :)
A bit fast to write there. Sorry. I’ve tried it only briefly. It has a nice classic JTM style Marshall tone and it should be able to handle most Gilmour style pedals. Whether it holds up with a loud band, I don’t know.
Hi, Bjorn! I already own an Orange Rocker 15. I just got a Red Pig Hoof, and I’m thinking about getting an additional amp for bedroom playing that might be better for the Gilmore tone. Do you think a Laney Cub stack would be very similar to the Orange, so why bother? Thoughts for an amp to combine with the Pig Hoof? Thanks so much!!
They’re somewhat similar, both being British with that mid range and compression. I do think the Cub is much more vintage sounding though, with more headroom. Great pedal platform.
Hi Bjorn:
First, thank you for this amazing site and trove of great information! Love it.
I’m picking up a HK 18 and I’m curious as to which specific JJ tubes you would recommend for it. Can you provide some guidance here?
My apologies if it was discussed elsewhere on this thread. I read through the comments, but didn’t seem to come across it. I’m not particularly knowledgeable about tubes in general, so your help would be greatly appreciated.
Seth
I had a H&K 18 for some time and I think I had JJ goldtips same value as the stock tubes in it. Made a huge difference. Be sure to use the gain channel for your pedals though. The clean channel is way too open for pedals.
Hi Bjorn!
I’m in the market for a new “pedal plateform amp”, using a good clean sound as a basis and my pedalboard (overdrive, fuzz, modulation). It’s only for home recording and practizing, no gig. Quite interested in a solid state amp like the Boss Katana, what do you think? Did you try your pedalboard with the Katana? Many thanks
The Katana is a great pedal platform. I haven’t spent too much time with but I definitely got some great tones with lots of different pedals including Muffs. It is a solid state so you won’t get that tube compression and dynamics, which will have an impact on your pedals but that’s probably not an issue in e bedroom/small studio setup anyway. Check out the Roland Blues Cube as well.
Thank you so much Bjorn, it seems to be a good (and very cheap) choice :)
Hi Bjorn, I really appreciate the site, and have learned so much from your videos. I have a question about your amp and pedal chain you used to record the song, Out of Reach. Your solo in that song has to be one of the most beautifully phrased solos I’ve heard. Can you let me know what amp (Reeves 50? Lionheart?) and pedals you used for the solo? I think I’m hearing your Dunlap Crybaby as you progress up on some of the notes and possibly a phaser. That solo nails the sound I’d like to achieve if possible. Thank you so much for your time – Jerry
Hi Jerry! Thank you so much for your kind words! It’s years since I recorded that solo so I don’t really remember for sure. I think I used my Reeves and a Les Payl with PAF humbuckers. Effectswise I think I used a cray baby > AnalogMan Boss DS-1 and all of the delays were added in the mix using stock plugins in Logic I think… Listening to the solo I was probably playing very loud to get the sustain and feedback :)
Hi Bjorn. Fender Bassbreaker is a good plataform to EHX Russian Big Muff and Crayon?
Yes.
Hi Bjorn. You’re playing is incredible and sharing your knowledge is really helpful. I have a Peavey Classic 30, but am thinking of switching to the Hiwatt Tube Series 40w.
My chain is a Fender MIM Strat with Custom 69 pickups> Electronic Orange Pig Hoof>Vick Audio Overdriver>Electronic Orange Moon Vibe>Mooer ElecLady>MXR Carbon Copy>Ditto Looper>Peavey Classic 30.
I’m chasing a Gilmour tone, and have a few questions.
1. Is swapping the Peavey for a Hiwatt worth the investment to get a more gilmourish tone?
2. Is the Hiwatt versatile? I have no stores near me that carry Hiwatts to try one for myself before buying.
3. Is my signal chain Ok?
Thank you for taking the time to read and respond.
Hard one to answer. I guess it’s worth it if you got money burning in your pocket but I think the Classic 30 is great and you can definitely get some really nice Gilmour tones with it. Your chain looks great! What do you think? Is there something missing in your tone? Do you feel the need to buy a new amp or should you experiment more with the amp settings and pedals?
Something seems missing from my tone. I ordered an iron fist compressor. Maybe that will solve the problem. I also plan on buying in the future evidence audio cables, a pedalboard with isolated power, and maybe an analogman 109 SunFace. I plan to add these things slowly over time when my budget allows. Thank you for your input! I’m also using the Peavey Classic 30 at low volume level for playing at home. Will that effect the EQ? I’m using the settings you recommended for the Peavey Classic 30. Thanks
UPDATE: I tried the iron fist compressor and it is what was missing from my tone. My tone now sounds very Gilmourish. Thanks again for all the great advice and info on this site.
Hi Bjørn. I keep coming back to your site, thanks for the excellent (and no doubt time consuming) work for everyone interested in guitars. I hope people hit the Donate button now and then, I do. (If not and you are reading this, it’s on the About page!)
Now having bought and concentrated on keyboards and mixer/recording for a while, I want to pick up my guitars again. They are Fender as well as custom Strats (one with original Fender and one with EMG pickups) and Teles. (I have had Gibson, Gretch, Guild and more over the decades, but it seems I am a Fender guy.) I am strictly a basement home studio guy nowadays, no band or gig playing.
I have a Soundcraft Signature hooked up to a Mac running Logic X. The Soundcraft has all my keys connected, and with the 3 “big” Strymons chained into stereo AUX. I also have a few standard and boutique pedals, Tube Screamer, OD1, Blues Driver and DD7 delay.
After playing a Mesa combo for many years I finally realised it was never going to leave the house again, and overkill for my basement, and replaced with a Princeton Reverb. Perfect for most of my playing.
Then visiting this site again wondering if I should shell out for a custom muff, I realised that EH had released the Green Russian, which I can get from my local gear shop at a price which won’t ruin me. And the Triangle, which I guess is more of an untamed beast. So of course I thought I would try one.
But reading your comments made me wary if the Princeton is the right amp for a muff. So I started looking at the amps section, especially what caught my eye was the Lionheart L5 Studio. I understand this can in fact be connected to my Mac directly through USB for recording. And can be used without a speaker cabinet for this and though headphones. So that sounded intriguing.
Now after a long winded intro, I hope I can ask the following. Please note that I am not aiming to do perfect sounding Pink Floyd covers, although the right equipment might change that, this is mostly to apply those wonderful sounds to my own songs.
1. Assuming I want Gilmour type muff sounds, do I want another amp than the Princeton? (Assume for arguments sake that money is not an issue. It is, but let us pretend it’s not. :) )
2. Assuming I want another amp, is the Lionheart that much better than say a Cub that it makes sense?
3. Have you tried running the L5 directly though USB? Does it work well enough that I can skip a speaker and mike?
4. Am I right in assuming that the Green Russian would be a “nicer” alternative for me than the Triangle?
Then between them, my Strymons, Boss DD etc I am sure would cope with the rotary sounds and delays etc.
TIA, Geir :)
Hei Geir! Takk for hyggelig post! Regner med du er norsk, men la oss ta det på Engelsk :)
I don’t think you can find a better sounding and better suited home practice/studio amp than the Princeton. You can’t really compare it with anything else. I’m using a Lionheart L20 for a lot of stuff and it’s really one of the most versatile amps that I’ve played. The clean channel is kind of a Vox AC but not really :) The dirt channel is kind of a JTM 45 but so much more :) The Studio 5 is the same amp only smaller. I wouldn’t swap the Princeton for it unless you’re not happy with it. That being said, the Lionheart is definitely worth checking out. Not least for its studio features.
The Cubs are great but I’d rather keep the Fender.
I’ve only tried the Studio running it as a regular amp. Haven’t tried the studio features. The clips I’ve heard sounds OK but I think it really shines if you use it as a pre-amp and re-amp your signal using plug-ins.
The Green Russian is a more mellow sounding Muff, with more mids and compression. Two different pedals really. Depends on what you need :)
Norsk ja. :)
Thanks for the reply!
I am not suggesting I swap the Princeton, that is a keeper. Rather to buy an amp like the Lionheart to complement it, for where I want those «British» sounds. I am not big on using plugins, although Logic has some nice amp sims. I could buy the Studio head and a speaker cab, but If I am not gong to use the built in interface anyway it would be cheaper to buy the 5W combo and mike it the old fashion way.
If course, If I can get those «Gilmourish» sounds from the Princeton somehow, I’d rather save the money.
hey bjorn, have you tried the new hot rod deluxe? i was considering buying it
Nope but I would assume that it’s fairly similar to the older versions. Great sounding amp!
I used to have the HRD mkiii. Unfortunately it became problematic after just 2 years. I upgraded to a Victory V40 Deluxe which sounds similar but has a richer, more complex sound.
Worth a look.
hey Bjorn how are you ? legend site that keeps getting better congrats !!!!
some help please……I own a DR 103 1972, last service the technician said that is nearly time to change the transformers , where can I get those partridge transformers ? and if they are not available what should I Buy ?
thanks for your help
fabrizio
Thank you! I really don’t have any experience with that. I’d do a search and maybe post a Q on a vintage amp forum. Sorry…
I just noticed this and I believe Mercury Magnetic’s in the US has those Partridge specs and can make you a set.
Hello Bjorn,
I have a question, I notice a more loud or sharp sound when I play a bend on the ground string, I can take the example of Shine on you crazy diamond second solo, when I play the first note on G string, I feel that it is more acute than I want. can I improve this with my amp (fender bassbreaker midnight oil) or with a pedal? You have an idea ? Thanks
Hard to tell when I haven’t heard your tone and this also sound more of a matter of taste than something being wrong. David’s Hiwatts has a lot of mid range and he’s using a tad overdrive and a bit of compression. That produce a warm punchy tone, with a bit of bite and high end roll off. Your Fender amp is very different sounding but I’d probably start by setting it up clean, rolling back the treble considerably and roll back the guitar volume control to about 8. Maybe a hair higher or lower. You can also consider a compressor but a cleaner overdrive, like a BD2, would do the job.
Hello I use bk Butler tube driver and the blue comp, based on the cs2, by alh effects.
It is difficult to me to explain the sound but i notice a difference beetween position.
Equalisation is difficult To understand for me, I also notice I have a buzz like a sound saturée in the base.
Difficult :-(
Well, I have no idea. When you say buzz it could be a frequency in the amp that you can try to tame with the EQ controls. Could be a string that’s either causing fret buzz or that’s too close to the pickups.
Hello thanks for your answer. I think i Will try your EQ strings you your Reeves in the vidéo of the electro harmonix green russian big muff.
Sorry for my bad english,
Not “strings” but “settings” ;-)
Thank you for your answers. I have been wondering about that for a while i know.it doesn’t change amp but it scoops out some of the mids and that helps the amp sound less aggressive on clean channel.
Big question bjorn. I have a button on my Marshall dsl that when i punch it the mids are scooped and it sounds less aggressive will that help with pedals like tube screamer and others that dont like mid heavy amps its a fairly new feature on amps that allow players to get that scooped metal sound but, maybe i am just dumb but, seems to me that would bring the amp closer to a fender or allow you to use different pedals.
I don’t think it turns your amp into a Fender but perhaps a more modern sounding distortion. I guess that makes it easier to use mids boosted pedals. I haven’t tried the feature on that amp so I can’t really comment on how it sounds.
Hello, Bjorn
Thank you very much for all information in your website. Really impressive work. I have to tell you that i was
using Line 6 digital pedal boards and never get any closer to Gilmour sound.
Following your sugestion, i changed my gear to a BOSS KATANA 100, and achieved excelents results on Gilmour sounds and other tones for my Classic Rock band. Very happy with the amp! Thank you so much!!
Awesome! Glad to hear!
Hi Bjorn,
Can you give an idea of how loud/quiet the Laney Cub 12 is in <1W mode? For example, could it go louder than a dreadnought acoustic played hard? If using it as a clean platform for pedals, does it make any difference to the sound quality to use the 15W channel with volume turned down? Thanks.
It’s definitely louder than an acoustic but it obviously depends on the volume and gain settings combined. 15w will sound fuller and more balanced but the 1w does the job.
Hi Bjorn
what do you think about the last Fender Hot rod deluxe IV? It seems to be a little different from the III, do you think it works good with pedals?
Haven’t tried it but the Hot Rods do have a bit more mids than your typical Twins etc. Nice pedal platforms although I’d go for the more mid rangy pedals.
Bjorn,
As always, thank you so much for your info. I am playing through a Hi-Tone HT50 right now and love it, but have come across a Cieratone Hey What in my area that is at a killer price. I plan on picking it up. I have a 2×12 cab, that has a Marshall vintage g12 on one side and nothing on the other. I need to buy a speaker for that side. I really no nothing about speakers. My first question is if that g12 is any good. If so, could I pair it with something that would sound complimentary. If so, what would you recommend. If not, what would you recommend I buy as a pair. If i need 2 new speakers I can go that route. I’d like this rig to maybe be a bit different, but still cover the Gilmour tones. Tahks for the help!
Chad
I’ve been using different speakers with my Reeves Custom 50 but settled with G12H and V30s. They sound great in pairs and mixed.
My next pedal will be a bd2. I wondered for years when watching pulse how he went from clean to just above clean for the two solo sections in coming back to life now i know it was a tube driver type pedal.
I spoke to you recently about my marshall dsl 40cr new 2018 model revamped and not so bright anymore with new celestion speaker it is a g12. My question is what are the best overdrive to use with this amp my green russian works because it has a classic clean channel like the old jtm 45s seems to have a lot of headroom it will get loudnon that channel before i can here breakup. Just give me some suggestions with modern Marshall tones in mind.
It still has that mid range so I would probably stay away from the more mids oriented pedals. How about a BD2 or something similar?
Hi Bjorn,
I’m a bedroom player and I’m thinking to buy a Kemper Profiler Amplifier Guitar Amp Modeling Processor, I know for these I need to get a full range guitar cabinet speaker, can you please give a suggestion for that?
Many thanks.
I don’t really have that much experience with different types of speakers. Personally I mainly use Celestions. The G12H has a nicely balanced tone but enough character. I currently use V30s but they are pershaps a bit too colourful for what you’re looking for.
As always thanks very much Bjorn, I appreciated everything you do, and all your precious help
Cheers!
Hey, if you’re a bedroom player you could try studio monitors with your kemper. Since emulations usually benefit the most from very linear frequency response speakers in order to dial in specific sounds, which studio monitors are designed to do.
If you haven’t found what you’re looking for yet, speak to the folks at Eminence Audio, they make a whole range of guitar speakers and they know what to pair up with different amps. Ask about their Swamp Thang, as far as full-range speakers go it’s hard to beat. ;-)
http://www.eminence.com/?s=swamp+thang
Hi, Bjorn,
I’ve been looking at the Hiwatt Custom Shop Little D Rig with the WEM cabinet, but I’m also reading a fair amount of negative statements from players saying stay away due to cheap build quality and because of the tubes, the head will always sound like a Marshall. They steer towards a Hi-Tone for better quality and more true Hiwatt sound. Any thoughts on the subject? Thanks so much.
The amp is very much a Hiwatt and although the tube configuration is similar to Marhsall, the amp is certainly not a Marshall. People tend to have a lot of opinions about Hiwatt but my best tip is to always trust your ears. Doesn’t really matter what anyone thinks or say if you like it. I haven’t tried the amp my self but the reviews sound nice. I have spoken out about how the amp is marketed and how they claim it to be a David Gilmour signature amp. It’s not. As for the tones… I’m sure it’s a great amp. That being said. A Reeves or HiTone is probably a better built amp.
Hi Bjron, the amp I am currently using a Behringer VTX50. The amp does get quite distorted at high volumes or usually sounds flat and muddy.
My pedals are in this chain
Boss CS2
B.K Butler Tube Driver 911 and sometimes a BD2
Big Muff (Green Russian) the resissue
Boss GE7
ND1 Nova Delay
Boss RT20
Boss CE2
I’m trying to get the tone of sorrow, the pulse version. It sounds a bit too flat. Is it anything to do with my equipment or should I look at specific amp settings
I haven’t tried your amp so I can’t really comment much. It seems that it has a low headroom, meaning that it distorts easily but you should be able to set up a clean tone, with the pre gain low and the master high. Maybe there is a channel selector. I’m not really sure about the specs. I think I would try to stick to the BD2 and maybe the TD and set them up for fairly mild overdrive tones. Your amp is not a Hiwatt so don’t pay too much attention to how David sets his pedals. You might also want to look into pedals like a Rat, OCD or similar that will privide more mid range and compression. This will probably suit your amp better.
Hi Bjorn,
I use Google traduction.
I’m looking for a small head and light enough. Thank you to also tell me if these amps are usable With a band.
I do not know if you had the opportunity to try the victory amp? or to consult some videos of these amps … among these 3 models of this brand which one would you advise me?
Victory V40,
Victory Sheriff 22,
Victory RK 50?
And Also :
VOX – Night Train G2 NT15H
EGNATER rebel 20
EGNATER tweaker 15
Marshall 2525H Mini Silver Jubilee
gurus 5015
thank you very much !
I haven’t tried the Victory amps so I can’t really tell. There are lots of reviews out there on all of these amps so do check them out. The ones I’ve listed here are amps that I’ve played and that I recommend for Gilmour tones.
Bjorn,
Thanks so much for everything you do, including your playing! Amazing! I’m a “bedroom” player looking for an amp to chase down David’s various tones. I know you use a Reeves Custom 50, but do you think the Reeves Custom 12 PS with the power scaling is going to help me get close? I also like the Blues Junior IV, but I’d need to hook up an attenuator, which isn’t quiet the same as power scaling. Preference? Thanks so much!
Thanks for the kind words and support Greg! Glad you enjoy the site! The Custom 12 is perhaps closer to a Marshall than a Hiwatt… or something inbetween. It has a nice headroom for pedals but expect it to be more aggressive compared to a Hiwatt. Unless you plan on using the amp’s gain to produce distiortion and overdrive the PS is pretty redundant. The amp is capable of delivering nice clean tones on low volume as well. Depends on what you need. Cheers!
I already have an Orange Rocker 15, so it sounds like the Reeves would be pretty similar. I’ll check them out, but it looks like the Blues Junior IV and maybe the Hiwatt T20 may be my best bets. Thanks, Bjorn. Input from any other readers is also welcome!! Thanks.
Hi Bjørn, i really like the blues junior III, but what about the limited edition lacquared tweed with Jensen speaker, it’s a good option too?
Haven’t tried that specific model so I can’t really tell how that compare to the other models.
Bjorn, have you ever tried de Vox MV50 amps?
Nope.
Hi Bjorn. I have the B.K butler tuber driver with bias control but it doesn’t sound good at all with my fender 65 deluxe reverb. Is this amp not fit for this pedal ? Thanks bud
Read about choosing the right pedals for different amps here.
Bjorn and Readers,
I just wanted to put out some information as I am always get so much from this site. Like many of you that frequent this site, I have been n a long journey with guitar in general and more specifically that Gilmour tone. Bjorn your site has really enabled me to dial in my sound using a variety of amps and pedals. Regardless of the set up, I can find a Gilmour tone close to what I am looking for. I thank you for all your articles and tutorials. They real do make a huge difference.
This all came into fruition the most with my recent purchase of a High-Tone HT50. I have gone through many amps on this journey including a Laney Lionheart, Mesa Lone Star, DV Mark 40, Reaves Custom 50 1×12 and now this Hi-Tone. For the money, I think the DV Mark is incredible. It dials in great tone and only weighs 47 lbs, in a 2×12 all tube combo. I must say though that the Hi-Tone delivers BIG. It sounds incredible and for those chasing the Gilmour sound, it is there for sure. It also sounds fantastic for rock and blues tones. I have to say I couldn’ be any more pleased with my tone. I also want to give Bjorn credit for his dialing in tone article. The sound I orginally dialed in wasn’t even close to what I got after I read the article on dialing in your amp. I set my Hi-Tone up almost exactly like your Reeves Custom 50. The M1and Tube driver sounds are exactly what I had been working for for years. The Boss OD-3 and DS-1 mod also sound killer. As far as the clean shine on sound goes, I have a Buffalo FX power booster and it sounds spot on for that first intro.
To be fair to the Reeves I purchased, it was a 1×12 and I was using a G-system for my effects, so I do not think it was a fair comparison. Since I stopped using the G System and going through the loop, my overall tone has really opened up. I also had not read the Article you put out about dialing in the amp. I am sure it rocks equally as well, had I dialed it in the same way.
Overall though I just wanted to share with the readers that the Hi-Tone amps are the real deal. If you are reading this wondering about them, don’t!
Thanks,
Chad
Thanks for the comment and kind words Chad!
Hi Bjorn. Thank you so much for the huge and terrific work you’re doing on this website. A real Bible to me.
Would you please tell me if you ever tried the Laney 212r cab? I have a Fender Hot Rod 2, but I would rather change for something more “British”. The use I’d make of it: venues from 100 to 1000 people.
Best regard.
Cyril
Thanksfor the kind words! The Laney Cubs are really great. Hard to describe the tone but somewhere between an early Marshall and Hiwatt. Certainly capable of producing great tones and it’s nice pedal platform. Personally I consider it more of a bedroom or practice amp. A bit too small for gigs but then again you can always mic it and have a front monitor.
Hi bjorn!
I got a really good deal on a jet city(basically cheaper soldanos – in quality and price) amp. I quite like it for my bluesy kind of sounds, but i was wandering if it would be able to cover gilmour tones. Specifically lead tones.
I would love to hear your opinion .
Thank you very much, rotem
I don’t really have any experience with the Jet City amps. I know a Soldano, although fairly hot and aggressive, can easlity be set up for some really nice and warm bluesy tones and it has quite a lot of headroom too so based on that I would say yes in regards to David’s tones.
Hey Bjorn! I ended getting a Cub Head and a Lionheart LT212 cabinet (G12H speakers) as a present, I still can’t believe it haha. Thank you as always for all your help and this incredible site, greetings from Chile.
-Felipe Mac-Auliffe-
Awesome! Congrats!
Do you have any experience with solid state modelling amps? I own the Yamaha THR10 and I sometimes download presets from other users online and load into the amp when its connected to my computer. That way I have gotten some nice Pink Floyd sounds and I also bought a Maxon OD808 to drive it further (tubescreamer copy).
However it would be nice to know if there were any other pedals that could get me closer to the gilmour sounds that some people, like yourself, can dial in on their more expensive tube amps..
It does handle pedals well so maybe I should buy myself a Big muff or something.. If you haven’t got any suggestions?
I was almost keen to buy a Laney Lionheart L5T 112 or Cub 12r but then I noticed they don’t have any headphone jack so I can’t really play it most of the time at my apartment.. So I might stick with this Yamaha and get me some pedals and hope for the best. Hope you can help me! Cheers
I have very little experience with the THR, only played it without pedals, so I cqn’t really comment on how well it goes with pedals. A Muff might wrk but I think I’d go for something versatile that might suit the amp better, like a RAT type of pedal, or OCD something similar, with a bit of compression and mid range. These types of pedals seems to work better with smaller amps. The Lionheart L5 Studio has USB and headphones outs.
Greetings Bjorn. Looking for some amp advice. Currently, I’m playing a borrowed Blackstar HT-1. I’m on an extremely limited budget. Looking at the little $100 Hotone Legacy amps. It would surprise me if you’ve played them, but maybe you know enough about them to suggest one? There’s a few flavors, which one would be closest to the Hiwatt/Gilmour ballpark?
Hi Charles! I haven’t tried the Hotones so I can’t really tell. I’ve seen some good review but I really don’t have a clue. Don’t have much experience with micro amps but I must say that both the Boss Katana line and the new mini amps from Laney are very impressive. Obviously, an alternatve would also be to go all digital with a software of some sorts, like Amplitube or similar.
Charles; I can vouch for the Boss Katana mini 5w amp. It is 100 USD, and sounds pretty killer with clean/crunch/dirty channels. It will actually take my big muff, compressor, and mistress very well if you want to get more authentic. It has a phones/cab sim out, and aux in for mp3 on the back. Batteries actually last a good while (6 AA), or it will take a Boss power supply. Also has on board digital delay, and the harmonics are great. Headroom isn’t the best because well, it’s a 5 watt. But if you are looking for a little amp that you can mess around with, jam on, sounds great, and is cheap, katana series is the way to go. That’s my “real world” experience with it. There are also quite a few reviews of it on the Tube. Hope this helps you in your quest.
I have one actually. I’m looking to pair something with a cabinet with some more oomph though. The Kat mini comes out when I’m wanting to play at 3 or 4 in the morning. It certainly sounds awesome for what it is, but it’s not gonna give you what a proper cabinet will.
Is there a major difference in tone between a Hi-Tone DR 50 and a Reeves Custom 50? It appears that Hi-Tone is basically Hiwatt carried on and Reeves just used the name. I’m just trying to make a decision on which to grab. Is either more of a true replica of vintage Hiwatts than the other? I see that Hi-Tone offers NOS mustard caps. I just don’t want to regret any decision I make.
I haven’t done an A/B test so I can’t really tell. I’m sure there are lots of opinions out there… All I can say, based on my experience, is that both amps sound amazing and probably as close as you can get to those old early 70s Hiwatts. I’ve been using a Reeves Custom 50 for years and I really couldn’t be happier. Awesome pedal platform and very easy to record.
Hey Bjorn, any thoughts to the mesa lonestar special in handling the more demanding pedals such as fuzz/big muff? I know mesa’s are more fender based but some have more Britishy tones in the channel switching stuff. In reading through the comments I see you’ve used a mesa rectifiers in the past.
Hi Zach! The clean channel is very based on classic Fender, with a nice chime to it, while the crunch channel is more a Plexi style Marshall with more compression and mids.
Hey. Bjorn !!!
I understand that you play through a Reaves custom 50… Have you had the opportunity to test it side by side to a Hiwatt custom 50 or a D series signature 50 ??? It’s next to impossible to get a Hiwatt shipped here to the U.S. but if the Hiwatt is the way to go… I will find a way 🎸😎🎸
I’ve tested it with a new Hiwatt Custom 50, with the same speaker cabinet. Sounds very similar. If anything, I think the Reeves had a slightly smoother breakup and to my ears the EQs responded better.
Hello Bjorn. My new Hiwatt T20 just arrived here in the US. However, the power cable that came with it is a European style “schuko” plug. Because the US only has type A and B outlets, I have no where to plug my amp in. Wondering if you know any safe and compatible alternatives to powering up my new T20. I really look forward to powering it up. Thanks.
Oh… I’m really no expert on the technical stuff and I certainly wouldn’t try to give you any advice that could damage your amp or give you a electric shock. I’d send Hiwatt an email or contact a local tech who knows tube amps. Don’t mess with electronics unless you know what to do and don’t listen to online experts. That’s my best advice.
Hey Björn, do you have any experience with Laboga amps? I‘ve got the Alligator in mind. Great Site!
Thanks! No, I haven’t tried them.
Hello Bjorn, I am thinking of purchasing my first tube amp. At this point my pedal collection is growing and they don’t work well with a modulation amp. I am thinking of Laney Cub10 or the Cub12R. They have different power tubes, 6v6’s for the 10 and EL84’s for the 12. Can you explain the difference between these 2 sound wise? Does one of the 2 work better with a big muff and/or tube screamer (clone)? I like the fact that the 12R has <1 watt input for bedroom levels but do you know if the 10 is too loud for bedroom purposes? Are they both loud enough for band practice in a small room if connected to an external 2×12 cab? Do you suggest saving some more money and go for the head and a cab or perhaps a Lionheart?
p.s. love your site and your work. Keep up the good work.
6v6 are slightly darker and smoother, while EL84 are brighter and punchier. Keep in mind though that the difference is subtle and, you are comparing two different amps here, even though it’s the same model. The fact that one has 10″ and the other 12″ plays a big role in the tone. I would go for the 12″ since you use pedals. You’d need that headroom. The scaling is useful in a bedroom situation but I’m not sure if the amp holds up in a band setup. Maybe on a stage where you’d mic it but probably not in a rehearsal room. If you have the oportunity I’d strongly consider he Lionhearts.
Hi Bjorn. About two amps, also for people who have tried them.
DV Mark Little Jazz and ZT Lunchbox.
With the right pedals like compressor, Big Muff, OD, Delay, etc., which of the two amps would be better to get Gilmour tones, mainly from Pulse to the present?
I read well from both amps, about DV Mark very good clean very warm perhaps more jazz oriented, and ZT Lunchbox maybe better for rock, but maybe too loud …
Thank you !
I’ve only tried the Lunchbox and it took all pedals pretty well. Very loud though…
I can’t speak for the little Jazz, but I have a DV Mark 40 210. It is extremely good for Gilmour tones. I use a Buffalo FX M1 and a Butler Tube Driver for my main drives and they both sound incredible through the DV Mark. I would highly recommend the amp. I have had a Reeves Custom 50, Laney Lionheart, and have a Peavey Classic 50. I prefer the DV over all of them. All of them sound great, but for the price point, lightweight and the sound itself, I highly recommend the DV. I cam by mine by accident, when I borrowed it for practice, because my Reeves was being re-tubed. I bought it on the spot and it has been my main amp since.
Hello. Certainly… I have acquired a DV Mark Little Jazz, and although it has no tubes, it has an excellent warmth and dynamics, perfect for Gilmour tones in bedroom setup, as well as for jazz, blues and rock..
The guitars I use are Fender Strat American Special and Gibson Les Paul Studio and I usually play with MXR Dynacomp Custom Shop Script + Buffalo FX Evolution + BD-2 + DD-7 + Mooer Ensemble King Chorus (for flavor pulse).
The result is very good, especially for medium and low saturations, for higher gain themes I still have to make adjustments in pedals and amplifier, but I’m sure it is also possible …
DV Mark Little Jazz is a Little Great amp…
Thanks for the tip!
Hi Bjorn, fantastic post, do you have any idea of the new Marshall Origin Series, Do you think its a good choice to get a Gilmour tone or a good pedal plataform? i really like the Laney CUB series, but i want something with that classic style of old marshalls, i heard that the Origin series are close to plexi tone, with tons of compression and headroom, greetings from Mexico.
Those early Plexi models aren’t that different from early Fender and the tweed models David often use but the they are more aggressive souding due to the compression. Perhaps a bit brighter as well. I love those amps and they’re great with most pedals but you might find that Muffs and some fuzz pedals sound very aagressive and perhaps hard to tame properly.
Hi Bjorn. Looking for an amp (head) for a Gilmour tone, that is pedal friendly (espacially fuzz), not mid scooped, low wattage and not too heavy as I need to carry it every week. What would you suggest? I would love a small Hiwatt or clone but I do not know which ones are really good. I am currently considering the SUHR 18-watt Badger with the power scaling feature which has great reviews. I have a Bandmaster 1964, Blues Jr with Cannabis Rex and a Dr Z Maz 38 combo. I like all the amps but would like to try something like the one I described above. As always, you’re the man! Thanks!
Hi Pierre! I guess all the one mentioned will provide a great platform for the tones you describe. Personally, at least for similar tones to David’s, I don’t really like Fender amps and fuzz but that’s a matter of taste. The Badger is an awesome amp but slightly more aggresive compared to a Hiwatt… and Fender. One of my favourite amps is the Laney Lionheart. They come in different shapes and sizes. Very versatile and a great pedal platform. Not too heavy either… for a class A amp.
I have a Bugera V22 combo. I also have a Peavey classic 20 Head.
I bought the peavey to get the mids I was not getting out of my Bugera.
Bugera’s been fantastic for me, One thing that baffled me for a while was to get a fuzz pedal to sound good with it. I traded out of a few fuzz pedals with little success.
I tried some of the suggestions by Bjorn with distortions instead of fuzz and they worked. I had almost resigned to accepting that Bugera V22 and Fuzz would not mesh.
Until I witched the amp from pentode to triode. I am not not sure what it does to the circuits, but I can say the amp gets into saturation a lot faster, doesn’t gets too trebly, and somehow mids appear out of no where and my fuzz pedals sound very good
I have a Fairfield four eyes cross over fuzz (amazing pedal) and and DOD Carcosa (very bold and ballsy – raspy) and they both sound good on their own, I also have a EHX OD glove that I sometimes run in front of the fuzz and then things sounds bombastic — really, really good. And if I want to play a bit cleaner to do blues or something, all I have to do it take the fuzz off and just hit the amp in triode with the OD Glove
Bjorn, Fender Bassbreaker or Blues Jr III?
Could go either way I guess. They’re very similar. The Bassbreaker is perhaps a tad more modern sounding and slightly darker.
Hi Bjorn, I do not understand why you removed the BUGERA amps. I own a head lamp infinium british 1960. It is a very beautiful machine. The sound is amazing for handmade wiring (China). I had for a long time a Hi Watt Max Watt transistor which was awesome. But the choice of this head convinced me. I’m sorry, I’m French and I use google trad. I use this amp with the Ram’s head 75, CS2, Boss chorus, TC Delays 2290, MXR custom shop phaser 90, Maxon overdrive DD 808, blues driver and other pedals. With a deluxe strat, fat 50, CS69 and SSL5, another standard AM strat from 1993, a vintage telecaster 52. It’s a great amp and that faithfully reproduces British sounds. Musically, a French gilmourish.
I didn’t remove it because I don’t like it but I didn’t want too many on the list and I wanted to update it with newer models as well. It’s indeed a great sounding amp well worth checking out.
Ok! Thank you Bjorn, Musically.
Hi bjorn,
What do you think about BOSS mod. SP-1 (SPECTRUM) pedal ?
Bye.
Haven’t tried it.
Hi Björn, do you think about Fender Champion X2? Other question, What better choice between the Fender Blues Deluxe and the Laney Cub 12?
Greetings!
Two very different amps. The Fender is bright, with little mid range and compression, while the Laney has more mid range and compression. Sort of a mix between a Hiwatt and early Marshall. Depends on what you want. You can get nice Gilmour tones with both amps and the right pedals but personally I think the Laney is easier to set up. Especially for low volume bedroom tones. See this feature for some tips on choosing the right pedals.
Hello Bjorn. About the Laney Cub 12. I have a Laney TI15 Tony Iommi signature with the same basic characteristics Laney Cub 12. It has a single channel that works clean with low gain. Do you think my Laney TI15 works well with pedals you recommend? Especially muffs and overdrives?
I’ve never tried that one but I would imagine it does.
Hey Bjorn. I have a fender blues deluxe, which i love. Too big I know, but I dig it anyway. Blue Jr just sounded too small. Drive channel is poo, but that’s what pedals are for. Anyway, lately I’m wondering if I “need” a low watt Marshall style amp as well.The reason being, I love fuzz in all it’s flavours. Reading your blog has me questioning whether my big muff needs a new friend. What do you reckon, oh wise one?
Well, I won’t be responsible for saying that you need anything, ha ha!, but yeah, fuzz pedals often sound better on amps with more mid range and compression. I grew up with, and still are a huge fan, of Kiss, Sabbath, 80s hair metal etc so when nobody can see me, I crank my Les Paul and Marshall Silver Jubilee 20w combo. It’s an awesome amp. Based on the JCM800 I think but it can easily be set up for more vintage Plexi tones and the clean channel is decent enough. Great pedal platform as well.
Ha glad to hear it’s not just me. As much I love to chase Gilmour’s tone at the end of the day it’s hard to beat a cranked Marshall (especially the Silver Jubilee – love those harmonics from that amp)
I’ve built a couple of 18w Marshall clones/variants and damn they sound fantastic played straight in with every axe we threw at em… Wish I’d had one of those in the 70’s!
Hi Bjorn,
Have you ever tried using an attenuator DI box like Two Notes Torpedo or the JHS Little Black Amp box on larger tube amps to crank the tubes while keeping volume at low level via these devices? From what I read, Gilmour cranked his Hiwatt amps at full throttle to get tube breakup with his setup. I have a 120 Watt Peavey amp and want to test this out to get full tube saturation on clean channel for full sound at bedroom volume which is what these devices provide. Wondering what to use for pedals if this works out. Would I use standard fuzz+boost+OD chain on my larger tube amps? This would solve the issues with small bedroom amps and let me keep my large amp head for full power using the DI/attenuator box as line volume bedroom levels while getting the tube breakup which is what Gilmour did.
Attenuators are often used to be able to drive the preamp for distortion but lowering or attenuating the output stage for lower output volume. You get the tube distortion on lower volume. David has always set his Hiwatts for a clean tone but hot enough for the tubes to be working fairly hard. The tone is punchy and you get a bit of that tube compression but the tone is clean. Attenuators doesn’t do much on clean amps but there’s lots of things you can do to get a fat sounding tone on lower bedroom levels. Check out this feature for some tips on setting up your bedroom amp.
Hi Björn
Have you tried Hiwatt little D?
Best regards
Thomas Johansson
Nope. I have commented on it many times here on the site. Fine amp I’m sure and do check it out, but I don’t like how they marketed it. Do a quick search here on the site :)
Bjorn, I have recently purchased a Peavey Classic 30. Can you recommend a replacement speaker? Gilmourish, obviously :)
I think they come with Celestion Midnight 60s now, right? They’re not bad but I guess I’d go for either G12H or V30s. The G12H has a nice upper mids sparkle, which can open up the fairly dark C30, while the V30s are darker but with a very nice low end.
Hello Bjorn. Is Clean chanel of the Marshall dsl5cr a good pedal platform?
Marshall isn’t known for good clean tones but with a bit of tweaking, yeah I think you should be able to get some nice tones. The DSL amps are fairly bright so you might want to roll back the mids a bit below noon and the treble considerably down.
Hey Bjørn, I have some questions about the Laney amps that you mentioned:
1. In the Laney cub family (combos only), what amp you consider the best?
2. How is the Cub212R compared to the 12R?
3. If I get a 12R, what is the best speaker you would recommend to me to change?
Thank you for this useful page, as always.
-Felipe Mac-Auliffe-
The amps are identical, with different features. The higher wattage models has more headroom and a 2×12″ cab will also provide more headroom. I like the Celestion Celestion G12H. They fit the amp very well. You can also go for the V30s. These are a tad darker sounding.
Hey Bjorn
What do you think about the princeton 68 as a Bedroom amp – can it deliver a Gilmour sound?
im torn between a small Reeves with the POWER SCALING or maybe a blues Jr? I dont know which way to turn and would appreciate your comment?
Thank you
See my previous reply. As for the Reeves… you can definitely go for one of them. Great amps. But keep in mind that those smaller models are based on early Marhsall and not Hiwatt.
Hey Bjorn,
im a big fan of your website and thank you for all the time and help.
I would like to know which Amp options are the best for a Gilmour sound that can handle all the pedals and used in a bedroom volume? like 2-3 best options?
Thanks
Sorry for my very late reply, Gilad. Vacation… Depends on what pedals you’ll be using. Personally I would go for an amp with a bit of mids and compression, like a Marshall or one of the more mid rangy Fenders, like Princeton or Blues Jr. See this feature for some tips on choosing the right pedals for different amps and this one for setting up your bedroom tones.
Thank you.
Which wI’ll you think be a better gilmorish sound based on your top pedals you recommended? Fender Princeton 68 or a blues jr?
Thanks again
You could go for both. The BJ is perhaps the more modern sounding alhough classic Fender. The Princeton is hard to beat and one of my personal favourite Fenders. Very easy to set up and it cna handle pedals very well. I’d go for pedals with a bit of compression and mid range.
Thanks
Hi, im a big fan of your page and also of pink Floyd, so i have a question, im about to get a Fender deluxe 5e3, beacuse i love that blues Tone but also want to get a gilmour style tone, i use a big muff, zvex box of rock, Analog delay, univibe, and Reverb. Thanks.
Check out this feature for somet tips on combining the right pedals for the right amp.
Anybody have experience with the Jet City 20HV?
Hello Bjorn – have you ever tried or considered some of the new amp modelers like Line 6 or Axe-Fx or Kemper to get Gilmour tones? I’m curious what your thoughts are on today’s modeling technology and amps, effects, etc.
I’m a bit behind on that stuff. Been using Line 6 and Amplitube for years and I’m very happy with those. Use them a lot for recording demos and writing songs. Haven’t checked out Axe or Kemper but I see they can do some interesting stuff. The technology has come a long way and it’s amazing how they replicate different sounds but I guess that regardless of what you use, even if it’s the cheapest stuff you can get, you have to know how to use it. I think that all of these processors and plugins are very good at certain stuff but you can’t expect them to cover it all. One of the reasons is that tone is very much a result of your playing and how you go on choosing different gear and setting it up.
Bjorn, or anyone else in Gilmourish land; does anyone have any experience with the “lunchbox” type of amps? There are quite a few of them out there, like Orange, Joyo, Peavy, Bugera, and even one called Wangs (pronounced Wongs). I am sure it is pretty easy to get them to go into overdrive at low volume, since most of them are 1-5w. Just curious if anyone had any experience with these little guys. Thanks.
Most of these has very little headroom so they’re not always the best pedal platform. The ZT amps are well worth checking out and the H&K Tubemeister amps are great too. If you want more of a plug-n-play kind of thing then the Orange Tiny Terror is hard to beat.
I have never tried the tiny terror. I think Orange discontinued it. but there is the micro terror, which is solid state in the power amp. They are all over Reverb, and Sweetwater, I just wish I could try it with my BYOC triangle. I am curious on how it takes BigMuffs.
They don’t have a lot of headroom but they can handle most pedals very well.
Hi Bjorn,
Any idea what channel would be best for Gilmour tones on a Katana? Thanks!
Depends on what tones you want and whether you’re using pedal or not… and what pedals.
im using a katana 100 with an xotic booster, OCD, blues driver, russian big muff, some cheap ass compressor and a carbon copy. still not feeling im getting the gilmour tone i want. looking for the “smooth creamy overdrive”
What sort of pickups do you use? What’s your amp settings? It’s always hard to describe a tone because what I consider as smooth might be very different to your ears. Not least how you can achieve that on different rigs. See this feature for some amp set up tips and this one for some tips on getting great bedroom tones.
Hi Bjorn, massive fan of this site and your videoes. You are as we say in Australia, a “dead-set Legend”
I recently had to sell my beloved Strasss SVC-30 (3x12AXY/4xELb4) 3o watt 2-channel 1×12 combo. Ever since, I’ve realised that it was the best pedal platform amp I’ve ever owned. So I have a chance to buy, at $500, the cub stack w/so;ver grille. I was thinking of speaker upgrades all round for my combos, Cannabis Rex>Junior, Creamback 75>Bassbreaker, V30>Cub12r Combo.
Thoughts? I use Muffs, Rats, Klones, Bluesbreaker, Tubescreamers, BD-2(s) and Jetter overdrives. Thanks. You ROCK!
Hi Matt! Thanks for the kind words! Those speakers seems to be a good upgrade. The JR sounds awesome with the Rex. Considerably darker but it does great justice to the amp. I haven’t tried the Creamback 75 with the Bassbreaker but it shouldn’t be too off from what it came with but a nice upgrade. Based on your pedals you should have a very versatile setup.
Bjorn , just curious if you have any experience with Kemper profiling amp ?
Very little.
Hello! I had a question about Delicate Thunder/Pulse tones and amps. I notice several instances where you recommend a Hiwatt for those tones, but wouldn’t a Fender or similar amp be a better fit? As far as I understand the power amp just amplifies the weaker signal Inputted by the Preamp. In the case of his live rigs, his Preamp was an Alembic circuit similar to the Dual Showman or similar scooped blackface type circuit. The preamp also contains the EQ section so the power amp would have no impact on the EQ. I only ask this because I’ve had a EMG equipped Strat with a Hiwatt and found myself constantly rolling the SPC controls or amp mids much lower when using these together to avoid getting a muddy or choked tone.
Hard to tell how he used those Fender amps. They might have been modded and he also did use different preamps. He did swap these for the Hiwatts later on so what you hear both Delicate and Pulse are the Hiwatts. The alembic was used as the main preamp in the 80s and fordriving the rotary speakers in the 90s. Again, hard to tell how he blended the Alembic and Fenders/Hiwatts in the 80s but David’s often combined Fenders and Hiwatts for a bit of both worlds – those scooped Fender cleans and the more aggressive mid rangy and compressed Hiwatts.
Hey Bjorn!
I have some questions for you concerning amps:
1) What do you think of the new Blues Junior IV? It sounds really different from the previous one to my ears, as it seems that Fender reworked the EQ section and replaced the bright speaker. Is it still for you a good amp for Gilmour tone (or even better), or would you advice to go for the Blues Junior III and replace the original speaker?
2) I finally managed to finish the assembly of my pedal board (a Custom Pedalboard with Boss ES-8 switcher and SIS patch cables, will post a picture soon), but I had to change the place of my amp and cab. So now the cab is closer to the wall of the room, there’s only a 5cm space between the wall and back of cab. My issue is that I experience now a more bassy sound than I’m used to, and I didn’t changed the amp settings nor the pedals. Is it only a trick from my ears, or would you suggest to adjust the bass and mids a bit on the amp settings? My amp is the lovely Laney L5 Studio, drive channel with bright mode set low for clean sound, bass at 2:00, mids full, treble at 10:00, speaker is a Celestion V30 housed in a semi-open back cab.
Thanks in advance for your advices and tips! :)
Alexis
I haven’t tried the new BJ but the old one that I had sounded very bright so, for my taste at least, it needs darkers speakers – I had mine fitted with Cannabis Rex – and also a bit more mids. I know there is a popular mid range mod you can track down. If they’ve done something similar to this I would imagine that the amp is even more suited for David’s tones than the earlier models. The Bassbreaker is also worth checking out.
Amp placement plays a big role in how the amp sound and how you perceive the tone. Corners pick up all the low end and placing the amp close to a wall will make it resonate more. If you don’t like what you’re hearing then either try to manipulate the sound with the EQ controls or, move the amp.
Hi Bjorn!
Thanks for your quick answer, I’ll give a try to your tips as soon as possible.
Concerning the Blues Junior IV, I spent more time on the Internet to have a better idea of what the “improvements” are compared to the previous version of the amp:
A) The speaker in the BJr IV is a Celestion A-Type, I compared its technical informations and frequency response to the Eminence Cannabis Rex, and it appears that they are almost the same (link to the Celestion page: https://celestion.com/product/144/atype/ ) (link to the Eminence page: https://www.eminence.com/pdf/Cannabis_Rex.pdf ). They’re both told as “modern American voiced speakers”. So it seems that Fender addressed that popular speaker replacement users of BJr III did.
B) I read that a lot of people changed the PCB of their BJr III, or at least replaced some components, in order to change the EQ section and give to the amp more fullness, especially in the bass frequencies and a bit in the highs too, and avoid the harshness at hi-gain settings. Fender seems to have done the same kind of job in the BJr IV. Maybe this is similar to the “popular mid range mod” you’re talking about?
C) Another trick I read is to replace the original tubes of the BJr III (Groove Tubes) with JJ tubes, in order to give more headroom and mids to the amp. From what I’ve seen on pictures, the BJr IV seems to have Groove Tubes as original tubes, so a little upgrade on this side can be a good and affordable investment I think.
Anyway, I’m very interested in this new version of the old Blues Junior, I think I’ll give it a try soon!
I hope the information I gathered on the web will help other guitarists who have an eye on this amp. ;)
Cheers!
Alexis
Cheers Alexis!
Hi, I have the older Tweed BJ Mk 3 (NOS) w/Jensen and it is very bright and scoopy. I love that blonde tweed look do you know if the new IV series come in that finish?
Hello Bjorn! Hope everything is going well for you. I was wondering if you could give me some advice. I have recently picked up a Dr Z KT-45 for a great price. It’s very much in the Hiwatt vein, with a Live at Leeds tone when cranked, but with a loud clean punchy British tone. The mids are slightly relaxed compared to a Hiwatt. They are not scooped, but more neutral like a tweed amp.
My question is, in a loud clean amp with flat mids, is it better to get a muff with midboost like the Vick 73 ram’s head, or a “stacked†muff pedal like the Skreddy P19? I most like would not be pairing it with a booster.
Thanks!
Depends on what tones you want. A stacked Muff sounds much more satured and compressed, while a Muff with a mids switch will retain much of its original character.
Hi Bjorn,
I have a Fender Bassman reissue. I normally jump the channels. To get the tone I want. I need both channels at or above 4. The band I play with likes a lower stage volume and lets me get about halfway there. Any suggestions for a softer amp with that tone?
Thanks,
Brad
I guess both the Bluesbreaker, Blues Jr and Laney Lionheart can do something similar.
T-PEDALS mod. NUKEBOOSTER………to try……….
Hi Bjorn,
do you know FREDAMP? He makes tube preamp pedals (to use with cabsim like torpedo cab or similar).
In order to play/record with a silent environment, what kind of setup would you suggest (what kind of tube preamp pedal in particular)?
thanks in advance, massimo
I haven’t tried those. I’m using a Universal Audio Solo 610.
thanks, any experience with new mooer series of preamp?
Nope.
Hi Bjorn!
Great website and lot’s of useful info. Anyway, I’d like to ask you for a some advice :)
I want to downsize my rig. My Peavey Classic 50 is too big (heavy), and still too loud for most gigs. It’s a raliable good sounding amp but it lucks dynamics and I want something more responding.
Actually I need two sets: A – gigs, light (max. 15kg) after 20 years of playing this is a important factor :D budget (200-400€) amp combo, or head + cab
I was thinking about Laney Cube 12 but after reading your post I have an impression it will not work on the road (realiability) and also will not have enough headroom, I often use clean, for funky comping, chords but also use pedals for heavy sounding leads and cruncy rock sounds, pretty much versatile story ;)
Set 2, B – bigger venues, musicaly more demanding stuff (up to 1000€) I want to get rid of my Egnater Tourmaster (4-channel 30kg head! ) I has to be copact too, 20kg max:) I also consider head + cab if it’s worth it.
We all know amps needs to be pushed to sound properly, and I’ve never had a chance to pass 3 on master volume, it’s always too loud for FOH ;)) I think I need 25-40watt. It will be miked anyway, but I like to have a bit more powere in case;) 15Watt might be not enought and I will lost clean when I crank it to the limits?
I know, the best way is to plug own stuf and check if it works with particular amp, many factors like playing style, music, guitar etc., but your advice based on “rig experience” will definitely narrow my choice and help make a decision without days of searching and testing.
Maybe one quality 12 cab plus budget amp and pro amp will be the best idea? So I can use little or bigger head with the same cab (if they mix together well) depending on what situations I am involved (cover club gigs or opan air concerts)
PS
I am testing budget micro amp – VOX MV50 https://www.thomann.de/pl/vox_mv_50_cl_clean.htm?ref=search_prv_7
I pretty much like the sound but dedicated VOX cab with Celestion V-type seems to lack mids.
I would keep this litte amp (0,5 kg!! :D) if I got propper sounding cab.
I am taking into consideration little fender amps like junior, junior tweeded (is this the same amp?) will they have a beeter headroom than Laney Cube 12?
Few days ago I heard Ibanez TSA15 amp and I was impressed. It sounded so much better comparing to Blues Junior. Do you have experience or knowledge on it?
keep rockin’!
I am looking forward to hear your tips!
Well, this is the big question isn’t it :) As with buying guitars I think that the most important thing is that you get an amp that you’re comfortable with. Doesn’t really matter what I recommend if you don’t like it. Guitars and amps should be extensions of you and your playing so I guess my best advice is to bring your favourite guitar to your local dealer and just try a bunch of amps.
Sounds to me that you need something versatile for different applications and I can’t really praise the Laney Lionheart amps enough. The L20 head and cab is one of the most versatile amps I’ve ever played. A dream to record, plays very well on lower bedroom levels and it has enough headroom for most pedals. The clean channel is very Voxy, while the gain channel sounds closer to an early Marshall Plexi/JTM.
Between the Bassbreaker and the Blues Jr, which would you use as a Gilmour style pedal platform?
You could go either way. The Bassbreaker is slightly more modern sounding, with a slightly tighter and more focused tone. Check out this feature for some tips on choosing the right pedals for your amp.
Hi Bjorn,
Question:
What’s you’re opinion on the ELECTRO HARMONIX mod. LPB-2UBE ?
Bye.
Great sounding tube driven pre-amp. Nice for boosting and adding a bit of sparkle to your tones.
Hi Bjorn!
Amazing website, I’m just diving into it and it’s such a great resource. Well done. This is my first post/question.
Although I love David Gilmore and his tone, not everything I buy is based on chasing his tone. I do play on a 57 reissue with 57/62 pickups, but I just bought a 65 DRRI with a C12K speaker and don’t know what Fuzz will work with it.
My question is, what Fuzz’s work well with the DRRI and do I need to stay away from any in particular?… ie. Fuzz Face vs Big Muff or Silicon vs Germanium.
Right now my pedal setup is Boss TU-3 tuner>Diamond Comp>Jesse Davey Duellist>Xotic EP Booster> Strymon Brigadier> Boss RC3 Loop. I also have a ProAnalog Manticore on the way, but I need a fuzz.
So, in your opinion, (or anyone’s on here), what is the best fuzz to compliment my pedal board and DRRI? What do i need to know when choosing options? I recently found the Jesse Davey pedals and bought the Duellist and it is incredible. The Jesse Davey mini fuzz or vintage fuzz both look and sound amazing from videos, but i dont want to splurge for it not to work with my already purchased gear.
Any advice is much appreciated. Sorry for any repeated questions that may have already been answered.
Thanks again and keep up the great work!
Matt
Hi Matt! Thanks for the kind words! Glad you like the site :) Please read through this feature for some tips on choosing the right pedals for your amp. Let me know if you need more help :)
Thanks Bjorn!
Matt FWIW, fender amps like the reverb lack midrange, and compression. A muff clone like the Vick audio rams head, or BYOC large beaver have a mid range toggle switch that add mid range to a mids lacking amp. Toggling it on will give you the edge you need for your amp. Also from what I read on Bjorn’s excellent big muff review section, he gives very high praise to the Sovtek big muff reissue because it had boosted mid range naturally. It is also the cheapest of the 3 pedals at around 80 USD. I have the BYOC triangle, and I am very happy with its versatility. Hope that helps.
Hey Frank, thanks for the advice. Very much appreciated!
How much of the traditional Gilmour tone is the amp versus the speaker cabinet? The reason I ask is because I have a Fuchs Clean Machine, which is a very versatile 150 watt tube monster. I’m currently running it through a cabinet loaded with an EVM-12L, but am thinking about acquiring a second cabinet. My options are a Fane Studio 12, a pair of WGS ET-90, or I could save my pennies and get a Hi-Tone WEM repo.
Speakers are a significant part of the tone but amp, pedals and pickups is really what defines your tone. Depends on how close you want to get and the wrong speakers with the wrong amp can sound pretty horrible. I haven’t tried the Clean Machine but you should be aware that those old Fanes has a lot of headroom and they’re bright. They need to be pushed a bit to really open up. I’ve used Fanes for years and I still do but I often prefer lower wattage and darker sounding Celestions to get a more dynamic tone.
Hi Bjorn,
I have a question, a tube of the preamplification of my Laney L20H is damaged and I want to replace them with JJ electronics tubes, but now my question is whether I should only change the 3 tubes of the preamplifing (12ax7) leaving the original EL84 tubes or I need to change these too with new JJ electronics tubes …?
Thank you very much for the help and thanks for your immense work …….
Alfredo
Preamp tubes usually last a lot longer than output tubes but there are no rules as to how often you need to replace tubes other than if you experience a change in the tone. I’d replace the preamp tubes first and hear how that sounds.
Bjorn, have you tried any of the amp modeling pedals by Mooer? So far, there is no Hiwatt, but there is a fender and mesa boogie, and 8 others. Apparently, you put them in the FX loop, and it overrides your preamp. I have a solid state Orange amp, and I am just curious if they would give it more of a tube like character, even though I already really enjoy the voicing of my amp with David type pedals. I know my Orange cr60 never be a tube amp, but I am having a hard time believing these pedals will give my amp the dynamics and reaction a real tube amp will have to pedals like a muff. I also have a pod hd500, and it has amp models like a hiwatt in it, and I sometimes run my physical pedals through it. Just curious if these new mooer pedals would be more authentic to the real thing. Thanks.
Haven’t tried them.
Hi Björn.
After a lot of research I’ve narrowed it down between a used Vox Cambridge amp 15w or a Boss Katana head 100. The boss amp can be scaled to to 0.5w and has built in speakers in the head. Which do you recommend?
Never been a huge fan of Vox so since you ask me, I’d go for the Boss. Great sounds and value.
I use the Tubemeister 18 and have gigged it. The clean channel gets incorrectly accused of being fizzy with pedals. This is because users have the channel gain set too low and the pre-amp gets overloaded. Set the clean channel gain fairly high (which you can do as it has lots of headroom) and you will have excellent results with pedals. The amp brings in more lows with the gain control set higher, and more highs with the master set higher, so you have to balance the two. I use the amp with all effects going in the front end including delay and reverb and have no problem and only use the clean channel for everything. I use a gutted open backed Blues Junior cabinet with a Cannabis Rex speaker. The open back 1×12 gives great dispersion so everyone gets to hear what’s going on including me. I am now also trying out a Blackstar Artist 15 (not Artisan). Promising so far but not nearly as neutral as the TM18 clean channel which manages to be neutral and chiming at the same time. The Artist clean channel is more mid pushed. Just my opinion of course, but if you are having fizz problems on the TM18 please experiment with the gain to master reaaltionship, you will be pleased you did.
Hello,
I am in a low budget and I wan’t to chose between a Boss Katana 50w or a Laney Cub12r (combo).
It’s mostly for home use, so both seems to be good in that department since Laney can be turned into 1w mode. I want to have a nice clean setting too cause I played a long time in a Twin Reverb. which one you think can get me into a richier clean sound with a nice headroom and good reverb.
Thanks Keep up the good work ; )
I would probably go for the Katana if headroom is your main concern. The Cub has enough headroom for most pedals but it’s a single channel amp and depending on your pickups, it breaks up fast.
Hello Bjorn! Please, tell me what you think about Sound City 120 head? I have a hot rod deluxe, and a guy make me a propose to trade the head for the combo? What do you think? Should I get a better sound? Thanks a lot.
Depends on what you want. The 120 is EXTREMELY loud and tonewise perhaps a mix between a Marsall JTM and Hiwatt.
I’ve been a little torn on my rig lately. I’d love nothing more than to have a Little D and matching cab but I’m mixed as to how much closer it will get me than my Mesa Mark V:25 and 1×12 V30 is now. I certainly don’t have the mids that the Hiwatt has but if the headroom is there how much more do I need? Is a head worth the jump to use with my existing cab?
Well, that all depends on how much you want the Hiwatt tone :) It’s two very different sounding amps and while they both have a lot of headroom, their character is very different.
Can the laney cub12r handle playing smaller gigs/bars or would it be better to go for a blues junior or bassbreaker?
It can but I would definitely mic it. The BJ and BB has more headroom I guess.
Hi Bjorn,
I’m looking to buy a new amp and I’ve been thinking about the boss katana 50. Currently I have a fender mustang 1 and it sounds pretty nice clean but as soon as I turn my green russian on, it doesn’t sound very good. I was wondering if the katana would handle big muffs better. What do you think?
The “problem” with the Fender is that it doesn’t have a lot of compression and mid range. Great for cleans but not for pedals that lack the same. You could compensate by using more mid rangy and compressed pedals, like a RAT or similar but the Katana can handle pedals better I think.
Thanks for the input. I also have the option to buy a used Cub12r with a Celestion Rocket 50. Would that be much better than the Katana?
Different sounding amp. Much more vintage and the single channel provides both a nice headroom for cleans and a smooth breakup. I would change the speakers though… they sound pretty dull.
Dear Bjørn,
Do you think that Laney cub12 head with vintage 30 2×12 would keep up with an average hitting drummer playing Floyds, RHCP and stuff like that? I don’t mind getting some breakup , but still more clean than crunch.
Also, in a <1W mode via 1×12 with V30 could it be used in a home situation (let's say as loud as an acoustic piano) while maintaining decent tone? It's going to by my first tube amp with such a low wattage so I don't really have any idea about those things.
I really value your opinion and want to thank you for all the work you put into this site, you yt channel and much more! :)
I don’t think the Cubs would stand up to a drummer. Especially not in a rehearsal environment. On a stage yes but then you would mic it. Check out the Lionheart series. The L20 is an awesome amp.
Great article! have you try The Orange dualterror
Hi Bjorn,
I am looking for a 2×12 cab. I can choose 8 ohm or 16 ohm speakers. Which one I have to choose? Ä°s it really important or I can choose whatever I want? I mostly play at home and rarely on stage.
Doesn’t matter what ohm you choose as long as they’re wired correctly.
Where’d the Bugera go?
Had to upgrade the guide but do check it out. Nice amp.
Hey Bjorn. First thank you so much for this website it is incredible. I am interested in getting a Blackstar artist 15 amp. I want to be able to sound like gilmour but also play different things. The pedals I own are an MXR compressor, Big Muff Nano, EHX Glove, MXR phase 95, and a TC flashback mini. What do you think? Would you recommend a different amp?
I mostly play stuff off of Wish you were Here, Dark Side of the Moon, and a couple songs off the Wall. I am interested in playing echoes
Thanks for the kind words, David! The Blackstar amps have a fairly modern tone and although they can handle pedals pretty well they do lack some of the headroom needed for your Gilmour tones. They’re definitely worth checking out though. Check out the amps recommended in this guide as well.
Ah thank you. The Laney Cub 12r is really appealing now that I look at it. Much easier to transport as well.
Do you think the laney cub 12r could handle bar gigs?
Yes but I would mic it.
Hey Bjørn love the site! It’s taught me more than you can imagine on not only Gilmour tones but given me an overall knowledge of everything you include on the site. I see that you’re a big Laney Lionheart from a lot of your answers on the blog and I wanted to know your opinion on the Lionheart L20 2×12 combo. It’s an amp I’ve been interested in but I also want to make sure it’s an amp that takes on muffs/fuzz and transparent overdrives well. Get back as soon as you can thank you!
Hi Gabriel! Thanks for the kind words! The L20 2×12″ is one of my main stage amps at the moment. Been for years. It’s kind of a mix between the Vox AC and early Marshall/Fender Plexi/Bassman. It’s not overly mid rangy but it can handle Muffs and fuzz pedals very well. You might want to add an EQ or booster, like the Xotic EP, for adding a bit more mids to cut through.
Ohhh alright thank you so much for the advice! By EQ would you suggest something like the boss EQ pedal?
Sorry that I keep adding on but would an overdrive like a buffalo fx power booster do the job along with an EQ? Or would the xotic be more ideal?
The Xotic is just a clean boost, with a bit of mid range, so you can’t really compare the two. The Power Booster is much more scooped (less mid range) but it also double as an overdrive, with a lot of gain on tap.
Yes, that would be a good choice but there are some boosters, like the Xotic EP, that has a lot of mid range and boost. A dedicated EQ might be more versatile but it depends on what you need.
Hi, Bjorn! Thank you a lot for this amazing article! Just need you advise.
My goal is to have an amp like Lionheart and use it via an attenuator (external) and a speaker simulator. I love this compressed and slightly overdriven power tubes tone, so I’m gonna use the amp with maximum output volume to get the tube at the edge of break up. No matter how wattage it has, there will be an external attenuator with DI output.
In your opinion, which amp would be right for me?
Hm… hard one but I do recommend checking into the Lionhearts. The L5 Studio has a built in attenuator and outputs for direct recording.
Hey Bjorn,
First of all, thanks for creating this site and putting all the research in to it. The question I have is that I’m looking into getting my first all tube amp and I can’t really decide which to go for. I’ve narrowed it down to the laney cub, fender blues jr, and the fender bassbreaker. Obviously as these are mentioned in the recommended amps so they can handle Gilmourish stuff but I’m also looking for something that can do early Clapton (cream/blues breakers) as well. Any opinions which you could give would be appreciated. Also what is your experience with the laney cub reliability wise as through researching these amps I’ve found several complaints from several years ago of overheating/quit working. Thanks
Hi Zach, you could go for all three I guess. They’re all low gain amps that provide a nice pedal paltform and classic tones. The Cub is perhaps the closest match for David’s Hiwatts but yes, they do have reliability issue. I wouldn’t trust it on the road but I’ve never had any problems with mine in my home studio. The Bassbreaker is well worth checking into. I like the Blues Jr but it’s noisy and depending on teh speaker, it can be very bright. The Bassbreaker is very similar but a bit more tamed and modern sounding.
Bjorn,
Have you had a chance to fool around with a kemper? I have a L20h and tons of pedals, but man those kemper sure sound nice. I’ve just never heard one in person. Everything ive seen on the net is that its amazing. Pricy though.
Not enough to have a good answer. I’ve tried it briefly and it sounded impressive.
Bjorn, I need your help man.
My local guitar shop just posted a second hand Laney LC50-112 combo for a good price. AUS$690. First question, the obvious one, will it cover Gilmour tones? I’m assuming, being a Laney, that it will be rich in all the right places?
Second question, is it better than the Hiwatt T40/20?
Third question, I’m currently playing through a Fender Princeton Chorus and can’t find any info on it… do you know anything about these amps?
I’ve never played a LC50 so I can’t really describe the tone or fully recoomend it. Based on the clips I’ve heard, it has a classic British tone similar to the AC and Plexi so I would assume that it’s both a nice pedal platform and suitable for David’s tones.
The Hiwat T would be a very different amp. Brighter, more mid range and headroom. Which is best depends on taste.
The Princeton amps has more mids and compression than your typical Twin and similar. Kind of a Bassman but much more open sounding I think and the breakup is smoother. It can handle most pedals but as with all Fender amps, I would go for versatile mid range oriented pedals for David’s tones rather than fuzz and Muff.
Played through a JCM800 for the first time. I always associated them with 80’s Metal, but I was getting some gorgeous cleans through the low input and single coils and it sounded killer with OD’s and distortion pedals on the clean settings. A rat and some delay got me some killer Gilmourish tones. I was really surprised how versatile it was, although it certainly isn’t a bedroom amp.
Yep. Those JCM800 do have that hair metal tag but you can easily set them up for lots of different tones.
Hey Bjorn! Huge fan of the site and your work. Been reading for over a decade… in fact, I used to email you with my set up issues it’s been so long! Anyway, few questions:
1. I’m currently rocking a beautiful Fender Princeton Chorus with black knobs and I can’t find any info on whether it’s a classic, scooped-mids Fender or not. Any ideas?
2. I’m thinking of adding a Laney Cub stack to my rig. How loud can it get, for example, could a Bose portable speaker keep up with it or is it louder than that? Could I play gigs with it (in combo with the Fender for stereo sounds of course)?
3. Or should I save a bit more money and go for something like a Badcat amp… which… do you know anything about Badcat amps? Are they scooped or boosted mids? I’m equal parts Stereophonics fan as I am a Floyd fan and Kelly Jones uses Badcat, hence my thinking here.
Any help here would be hot. I just spent ages tracking down a Vick Audio Rams Head and I want to use it to its full potential every time I play…
Thanks brother.
Thank you!
– See my reply to your other post regarding the Princeton.
– I’ve never compared the Cub with Bose but I would imagine that it’s louder than that. Depends on the amp settings and what pedals you use I guess. You’d probably mic it anyway on a gig.
– I don’t think you could compare Badcat and the Cub. Two entirely different amps both soundwise and not least quialitywise. I wouldn’t hesitate at all if you could afford a Badcat. They’re extremely versatile and can handle pretty much anything you place infront of them.
Hey Bjorn! Have you tried the crunch channel on the H&K 36W Tubemeister? It looks like it has a really cool vintage tone. I’m seriously thinking about getting a 36W Tubemeister due to its recording/low volume capabilities but I’m afraid about the modern sound on the 18W lead channel.
Thank you!!
Yes. I wouldn’t say that it’s a Plexi but definitely vintage Marshall and much more so compared to the 18w.
Awesome! Do you think this crunch channel would be more suitable to Gilmour pedals and tone than the Lead channel?
The clean channel has a lot of headroom and very little compression. Kind of a Twin. Doesn’t work that well with gain pedals.
Hi Bjorn,
I just got my Hiwatt T20 Head and a Palmer 2×12 V30 cab. From the first tests yesterday it sounds phenomenal, although I’ve read that the V30s need some time to “warm up”, so maybe the sound will improve further :)
The clean sound is so transparent and less dark/muddy in comparison to my Laney CUB, really brings the CS69s to life especially :)
I’ve set the Hiwatt like this: Master Vol 8:00, Reverb off, Treble 9:30, Middle 1:30 (tone-shift off), Bass 10:00, OD gain irrelevant, Normal gain 1:00
I must say that I underestimated how loud even 10W can be on a 2×12 cab 0_o
Anyway is this or similar how you would set the amp up in general? With a Fender Black Strat (CS69s and SD SSL-5) btw ;)
I noticed that the clean channel does not seem to break up at all or barely after like 3:00 o’clock. I have considered rolling down the Normal gain to increase the Master Vol a bit, but wouldn’t that take away the “punchiness” of the clean channel?!
One weird thing that I noticed: In one, really just one specific angle, in front of the speakers the sound is reaaally bright like ear pinching bright. Is this normal?
Thanks for your input ;)
Phil
Hi Phil! The settings seems OK. You should always match them to your pickups, pedals etc but they’re similar to how I would have set them up. The normal volume controls the pre-stage of the amp and you probably want a bit of that for your cleans to get a nice and punchy tone. Higher master will give you more headroom but also a more flat and brighter sounding tone.
The speakers are always brighter in the centre so by moving around you’ll hear the tone coming from different angles but standing right infront of the amp can be pretty nasty.
Yeah I figured. I basically kept the amp settings as they were. I might adjust the treble, bass and middle again to see which tone I like the most ;)
I just wrote with the Hiwatt Office manager and the tubes used in my T20 Head are: 2x EL84s, 2x ECC83 and 1x ECC82 … Interesting, never heard of ECC82s. They are made by Ruby though :D Chinese tubes I suppose … same ones are in the Laney CUB.
This is the so called MKII amp btw, the new one is the MKIII.
Very happy with the Muff and the Keeley Phat Mod sound with the Hiwatt though, although I noticed the Keeley being really loud, like I have to turn the Vol down to around 10 or even 9 o’clock on higher gain settings.
Should a OD pedal like the Phat Mod work with all Pickups and sound good? I’m getting that now, but noticed some issues with the Laney CUB being too bright in the bridge PU.
The BD2 or Keeley is a so-called full range overdrive, meaning that it’s capable of producing a wide range of different tones, either scooped or with a bit of mids boost. You might need to adjust the settings slightly between amps and it might sound too bright or too dark on some setups. It’s just the nature of most gain pedals.
I got myself a Shure SM57 and recorded a few things I played and noticed the tone being really dark and muddy, so I guess my ears tricked me at first making me think it sounds good haha
Following that I increased the treble/tone on amp and pedals a bit and good lord does it sound good now! Really happy with the sound.
The SD SSL-5 kicks the shit out of the Phat Mod especially, so good :D
I also like many others recently wanted to thank you for the time and knowledge you put into this site! It has been of great, great value for me as a beginner in understanding amp and guitar sounds in general, not just for Gilmour tones ;)
Glad to hear, Phil!
What about the Roland jc22 for clean tone and good stereo chorus.
Great amp!
yeah I am looking at a roland jc22 amp for clean tones and pedal platform as it is not expensive, sounds amazing and many other artists besides Pink Floyd use it for cleans like Metallica and U2 even.
Hey Bjorn!
Thanks for the incredible website. You get a lot of praise for it, but you deserve a ton more. Awesome inspiration, knowledge and community.
So, I’m a lifelong rabid Floyd buff, and recently picked up my first guitar to give playing a shot. Of course, the first thing I did was look for youtube vids on how to play some simpler PF songs, which is when I stumbled across some of your videos. Just like everyone else here, I’d do anything to make a guitar sound like that (clearly it’s way more the playing skill than anything else – but I thought a decent rig with some options for gilmourish tone would be at least a good start.)
Long story short, skipping the details, I grabbed the Keeley Dark Side after reading your review. But I had been playing through a vox amplug, which turned out sounding absolutely disgusting paired up with my new pedal. Like, really, really bad, like a nest of hornets.
So, I’ve drawn the obvious conclusion that I’m sorely in need of some proper amplification. This article was really helpful, but unfortunately I already blew most of the money I had for an amp on the pedal (maybe not the wisest decision, but I had to have the pedal.) No Laney Lionhearts for me, alas. I am looking for an amp that does everything you describe in this article for around $200 or so tops. That might not exist, but can you help me get closer than I would by just guessing?
I’m looking at the orange crush20 or micro terror, maybe bugera G5, maybe boss katana mini or something low-end from blackstar? Don’t really know what I’m doing though and pretty scared I’m gonna choose something that sucks for the pedal and be back to square one.
One last thing: it’s got to sound at least decent with nice quality headphones. 85% of the time I play, my girl is sleeping – sad reality but I’ve got to deal with it. I’ll live for the weekends when I can crank the shit out of whatever amp I get, the rest of the time just focus on technique.
Thanks a million!
John
Hi John, thanks a lot for your kind words! $200 is not much. I always try to stress the importance of a good amp and guitar. That’s your most important tools. It doesn’t mean that you need to pay a fortune but maybe look at the shelf above the cheapest stuff. You have a very good sounding boutique pedal and it won’t sound the way you want it to sound with an amp that’s basically box with a speaker. I’m being very honest now but I don’t want you to blow your money and get disappointed again. Now, I would either save up for a few months or whatever it takes or, look at the used market. You can find some really nice bargains. That being said, I would definitely look into the Boss Katana amps. They are awesome and although I haven’t tried them with the Dark Side pedal I’m sure you can set up some nice tones with it. Another option would be to go all digital and look into something like Amplitube or similar. These plugins has come a long way and it might be a better option for your listening situation as well. Cheers!
Thanks a lot, that seems like very sound advice. I was over my friend’s house this weekend and had a chance to try a boss katana, it sounded nice probably worth saving up for something like that or a used tube unit. Yeah, reviews online can be somewhat misleading, they make it sound like cheaper amps are such a good deal but there’s no substitute for actually listening to stuff in person to get a sense for quality – you pretty much get what you pay for with gear, right? Anyways, thanks again!
Hi Björn
What du you think about HiWatt little D compared With the Laney LT5 studio?
Thomas Johansson
Two completely different amps so you can’t really compare them. I haven’t tried the Little D but based on the specs and the clips I’ve heard it’s close to the original Hiwatts, with all the headroom and presence you’d expect. The Lionheart amps are sort of a mix between the Vox ACs on the clean channel and Marshall JTMs/Plexi on the dirt channel. Not as much headroom and mids as a Hiwatt but certainly a great pedal platform and IMO very fitting for David’s tones.
Bjorn, thanks so much for sharing your wealth of musical knowledge with us! Although Hiwatts are a rarity, I managed to find a Laney L5 Studio here in the States and have to say your recommendation is well founded! The tonal range of this amp is impressive and sweet indeed. The 0.5W setting is perfect for home studio/bedroom use while the ability to record and monitor via USB and headphones is awesome. Steinberg’s Cubase seems a perfect fit for this incredible amp. My beloved Fender Deluxe Reverb is now going up for sale with few regrets, save for the reverb itself!
Awesome!
If you would like to see what the inside of the USA Hiwatt Little D looks like let me know and ill email it to yeah and anyone else for that matter. Also, mine has JJ (i hope authentic) tubes in it
Bjorn how would you rate the Laney Cub12r combo for an all-around versatile amp capable of Gilmour tones? I am not happy with my Blues Jnr Mk.2 Tweed w/Jensen. It is too “boxy” sounding.
Also, I have a Squier Tele with cheap pickups, what would you recommend for that “Run Like Hell” Esquire tone? I would prefer Noiseless if possible..
The Laney is based on those early Marshall JTM/Plexi amps, much like the Fender Bassman. Much warmer and smoother sounding compared to the Blues Jr. Two different amps.
I prefer medium output pickups for Tele, preferably early/mid 60s specs, which is close to what David’s always been using.
I have a Laney Cub 12R It is a good combo amp for home and small gigs. Never had enough bass response though. I just modded it with a few caps and tightened up the low end. Added a 4.7uF across C11 from pin 3 V1 to ground and replaced C35 with .068uF. Much fatter especially through a 2X12 cab.
What’s your opinion on fender super sonic head and cab? Is it ideal for Gilmourish tones and a good platform for pedals such as fuzz/muffs and transparent over drivers?
I would go for the more mid range oriented pedals, like OCD, Rat and similar models and clones.
Good Morning Bjorn,
Thank you for this review.
with focusing only only on the best sounding-amp criteria for Gilmour tones, what would be your personnal top 3 amps in this list?
I’m a happy owner of a vintage Hiwatt Custom 100, but to play at home, it is really far too powerful… at low volume, even with volume boost or overdrive pedals such as Boss BD-2, Pete Cornish SS3 or Tube Driver, I’m unable to get any pretty overdrive sound… or to get any overdrive at all. With the huge amount of headroom, the amp remains clean… quite frustrating.
So, I’m considering a friendly bedroom (and sometimes small venues) new amp and keep the Hiwatt for the other usages.
I’m unable to try all the amps you suggest, so I would be glad to know your opinion of the best choice.
Thanks for your answer.
(And thank you so much for your awesome site, all the information you provide and for the time you take to give us all all your knowledge).
Thanks for your kind words! My main amp and favourite is my Reeves Custom 50, which I’m sure you know is a clone of the old Hiwatts from the early 70s. It plays remarkably well on low volume but you really need to set it up differently than to how you’d approach a band setting. The Hiwatt T-series is well worth checking out but I have to say that the Laney Lionhearts are hard to beat… at least in my book. It’s not a Hiwatt but you get the best of those old ACs and Plexi amps, which goes very well with most pedals and alone, whether you want clean AC chime or crunchy Plexi tones.
Just to chime -in: I’m playing through a Reeves Custom 50 (re-badged 2005 Hiwatt DR-504 imported to the US by Reeves – (cost me US$1,300 on CL) AND a Laney L20 head – US$500 also on CL (each head plays through a 2×12 cabinet loaded with Fanes). It sounds very good in a garage-sized rehearsal space but also at much lower volumes at home. I send the RT-20 + Eleclady flanger along with full signal and delay to the Laney and the OD’s + delay (minus RT-20 and flanger) through the Reeves/Hiwatt. So I mix-in the Laney (clean channel) just up to where I want the modulation to be heard. I must say it’s made the RT 20 VERY usefull whereas before on a single amp it was coloring the tone too much and the Eleclady was way too dominating when it was in a single chain. I learned it all from Bjorn and the rest of you guys :)
Hi Bjorn,
Why you replaced Bugera vintage series?
Wanted to add something new and update the list. The Bugera is still worth checking out :)
Bjorn: With my PF tribute band right now I’m using I’m playing out ion stereo through two amps: A 2005 Hiwatt DR504 (thru a HI-TONE 212 cabinet) and a Laney L20 H (through a custom cab with two Fane 12’s). I have a chance to get my hands on a 1968 Bassman head, all stock and recapped. Would that be an “upgrade” from my Laney L20? Would it be a better mix with the Hiwatt? Currently the Laney is doing duty as my modulation/wet channel. What do you suggest? Keep the Laney or replace with the Bassman as my second amp (alongside the Hiwatt)? /Gerry
The Bassman would be somewhat similar as the Laney is kind of a mix between a AC30 and Bassman/Plexi. The Bassman head has a bit more headroom but the gain channel on the Lionheart has more mid range.
Hi Bjorn,
I have a Vox lil night train with v30 cabin. , I am thinking buy a new amp. I play at bedroom. I like mostly Gilmour and Hendrix & Page sound. I am thinking Laney L5 studio is gonna be my best choice.
Also Marshall announced new Origin Series. Can i get Gilmour sound from it. What do you suggest?
Thanks for this great site and comments.
(My pedal board: Fulltone Fuldrive 2 , J Rockett Animal, MXR Dyna Comp, MXR Phase90, Big Muff 2000 NYC, TC Electronics Hall of Fame & Flashback Delay)
The Origin Series just came out so I have no idea how they match up with David’s tones and pedals but from what I understand, they’re based on the early era Marshall amps, which has a bit more headroom so I guess they will make nice pedal platforms. The Lionheart is a great sounding amp, pedal friendly and definitely within the Gilmour range.
Thanks for reply Bjorn.
Hi Bjorn,
Laney announced new mini Laney.
http://www.laney.co.uk/news/new-mini-laney/
Do you think it will be any good? does it contains valves?
The clips sound really nice and I’ll check them out for sure when they’re available. No tubes.
Thank you for always providing great info on David Gilmour tones, you are the man. I love how you did the comparison with the amps in this update, I must have read it a million times since you posted it. The format is great. Listen, please, can you answer a quick question? I have a Fender Deluxe clone, 20 watts with attenuator built in. I have a Patriot, 1976 V2 Electric Mistress modded, Free The Tone Tri-Chorus, Ventilator, Strymon digital delay etc… Do you think this is a good amp for those Gilmour tones?
Cheers from Cali as always long time follower! Updating your site was a event for me man. The new updates are dope…
I regretted to mention I am after David Gilmour’s Animals, The Wall, 1st solo album tones with a bit of the 80s mixed in
Thanks! Glad you liked the new updates :) What do you think? Are you happy with the tone you have? Seems like a good set up but as I always try to stress, what’s important is that you know how to use your gear. With the right knowledge you can make anything sound like Gilmour or the tones you want :)
hey bjorn,,
hope u r doing great and music going great..!! i wud like to know ur opinion on which wud be the best practise amp for home use out of these three – boss katana 50,, vox vt20x,,yamaha thr 10 ……… waiting eagerly for ur reply :) :) thankuu………..
I’d go for the Boss. Awesome amp considering the price.
Bjorn,
Do you know if there is any difference between the Fender Bassbraker 15 and 007 in terms of timbre? Thanks
The 007 has a 10″ speaker and lower wattage so it would have less headroom and break up earlier. Tonewise, they’re the same but obviously, how you perceive the character will depend on the headroom and how loud you can play.
Thanks for the review. You’re an amazing person. Thanks for everything you share. David Gilmour is the only reason I play guitar. And you’re the only source we can learn and understand his sounds and techniques.
I purchased Fender Blues Junior IV today. I hope the new updated version will sound better than the old one.
Thanks! Congrats on the amp!
Hi Bjorn. I appreciate all the comments written by you and everyone. But if you had $1,000 USD to buy a “Hiwatt” sounding amp head only (used or new same budget), what would it be? It does not have to be listed here and can be anything you want within that budget. Same thing for cabinet but I need two with a total budget of $1,000 USD This is mostly used for practice and bedroom level so I do not need 100 watt with a 4×12 cab LOL. The idea is that I would leave one cab home and the other one at my practice local; carry only the head. Thanks again for your insight!
Hi. one important detail is that I live in Canada so to get my hands on a Hiwatt like a T20 is rather difficult.So if you could maybe give me a few suggestions, including Hiwatt nmdels, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again
Check out the Hiwatt T-series. They might be over your budget but there are different models and you might find a bargain or used model. There really aren’t that many alternatives to the Hiwatts out there. The Laney Cub are somewhat similar and so are the Lionheart, although they tend towards the early Marshall JTM/Plexi models.
Hi,
I would like to create a Gilmour sound using an Hiwatt t20 with an Hiwatt HG112 speaker but I have read a lot of discordant informations in internet about them because are made in China instead of U.K. Can you give me any suggestion?
Personally I think the whole debate on where guitars, amps and pedals are made is irrelevant. People seems to be more focused on origin than quality. It’s more about saving cost and you can’t have both. The overall quality of brands and models made in Europe and Asia is very high and in most cases doesn’t stand back from them being made in the country of origin. Times has changed and the competition out there don’t allow bad quality.
Thanks for your suggestion and all the informations you share! I have learned a lot by reading most of them ! Finally I have purchased it and has got an amazing sound! A great clean sound very close to the original UK made.
Hi Bjorn,
First I just wanted to say that I absolutely love the site. Found it a few months ago and I feel like I’ve learned a lot about tone shaping, pedal setup and just food for thought not just for Gilmour tones but for tone in general.
What are your thoughts on the Blackstar Artist 30? Too much for an apartment setup? I have a lot of drive pedals including Wampler tumnus, Buffalo FX TD-X, thorpyfx fallout cloud, JHS double barrel and an Xotic EP booster (just to name a few haha)
Any recommendations for that sweet singing Gilmour lead tone?
I use the second channel as a fatter clean channel just on the edge of breakup and I definitely ride that midrange control on the amplifier… I’m thinking the 30 Watts is just too much and it’s keeping me from getting the power tube saturation not just for lead but for rich tone I’m general.
Any thoughts or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!
Hi Adam, Thanks for the kind words! Sorry for my late reply. I’m that familiar with that particular model but in general I would say that 30w is too much for a typical bedroom/apartment. But, it depends on how you’ll be using the amp. It can be a problem if you want to use the amp’s gain channel as you would need some volume to drive it properly but as a pedal platform I guess it would be just fine. It has two channels for British (Marshall) and US (Fender) modelling so you’d have lots of tones to choose from and that would work with most pedals.
Hej Bjørn!
I’ve just bought myself a Hendrix Stratocaster and i’m loving the tone im getting out of it. Right now using it with a Champion 20 amp but looking to upgrade the amp while also getting a TC Flashback + a Jam Pedals Fuzz Phrase.
Do you reckon the Boss Katana will suffice or will the Lionheart L5 be worth the extra money?
Stort tack!
Adam
If you got the money I would definitely consider the Lionheart. It’s definitely a better amp and one that will allow you to rehearse, record and even play live for a long time. Great platform for pedals as well. That being said, budgetwise, the Katana is a great amp.
Hello Bjorn,
First of all good job for this site ! verry usefull, thanks a lot !
Few questions about amp.
Im playing with a strat with EMG and have the opprotunity to buy a hiwatt custom 50 for a good price.
I’m wondering if 50w is not too much for playing in an house (not an appartement) but i would like tu play with a drummer and a band. On this amp i can set separately the preamp volume and master volume so maybe enough do crank the preamp. But what about the power stage ?
Would it be preferable tu use a laney 20w ? but not found of the cruch channel quite fuzzy and not tipically british.
Or maybe would it be ok withe a 1×12 ?
Im intend to use PC2A comp, Buffalo patriot fuzz, and Wampler Plexidrive or Vick Audio Tree of Life.
Do you think theses pedal, especially fuzz and overdrive are situable for this hiwatt amp ? what about the laney amp with thoses pedal ?
Thanks a lot
The Laney goes very well with those pedals. It is a very British amp but keep in mind that Vox and early Marshall, which the Lionheart is losely based on, is very different from Hiwatt. I would say that a 50w Hiwatt is too much for a house. It depends on how you’ll be using the amp but it seems that you’ll mostly be using pedals for your gain tones. It’s no problem getting a clean tone on low volume but it will sound thin and flat. I would go for something with less wattage so it will be easier to get the right balance between the pre and output stages.
Hey Bjorn,
I just checked out the hiwatt.co.uk page and they seem to have renamed their amp lines. The T20 is now named “HIWATT T20/10 MK III” and on the front of the panel it even says “Maxwatt”, which is or was the transistor line, wasn’t it? Kinda strange they would add that in …
That’s strange. Just saw that now… I guess they’ve rebranded the whole series.
The Brittish Hiwatt has new Canadian owners, Harrisons sold the company. The ownership of the brand Hiwatt is more difficult issue, there is Fernandes, having the rights of usage for North America, and Asia certainly. Probably they think, that a brandswitch, using Maxwatt could open these huge markets.
All he best Hiwatt, we will see!
It seems the new owners have been around for about a year. Notice they are not selling those rip off WEM cabs. Hopefully by losing the bad publicity which came with the Harrisons and their bad practices, things might be on the way up for Hiwatt
Hiwatt finally got a new website! The old one was kinda ancient looking, so … good for them :)
They published 2 new fuzz pedals in collab with Gary Hurst and in a blog article it says, they’re gonna reissue ALL his classic pedals! So there might be the Colorsound PB in production right now … :)
Hi bjorn! I wanted to ask you for advice: I own a fender hot rod de ville made in Mexico first series immediately after the model made in u.s.a, 2×12 cones eminence. I saw that Hiwatt did an affordable price amp (T40 2×12 fane speakers 150w). What would you do? would you change the fender hot rod de ville in favor of the hiwatt t40 for a more british and gilmourish tone or do you think it’s better not? Yours sincerely
Well, they’re two very different sounding amps so it’s hard to compare. You can easily get nice Gilmour tones with a Fender and the De Ville, and David’s been using Fender amps a lot in the studio since the early 90s. The Hiwatt is perhaps closer to what he’s using live though and the tones you probably associate with him. My best tip is to try the Hiwatt and decide whether you like the Fender or the Hiwatt… or both!
Personally the David Gilmour sound that I prefer is that (in the studio) is what goes from “tdsotm” to “final cut”. In that period, then, did Gilmour use Hiwat to record those five masterpieces or various amps? I asked you for an opinion on the fender hot Rod de ville 2×12 Eminence speaker because I saw that you only talked about the de luxe third series speaker celestion and are, in my opinion, two very different amps. I think the de ville has much more compression than the de luxe and, despite the eminence, an average band slightly higher than the de luxe. I would like to know your opinion about it.
Hi Bjorn. Today I was in a musical instruments shop, Dealer Hiwatt and I tried the T 40 combo: I found it incredible! Inside was all the British sound of this world and David Gilmour was there, in front of me, in every note he played. Compared to the Fender Hot rod de ville I noticed a lot more personality, an authentic sound while with the de ville everything was generic and in comparison seemed to have no personality. Perhaps (but I’m not sure) the T40 Hiwatt is slightly less versatile but the beauty of the sound I heard coming out today is unmatched. In addition it is much more transportable and usable at home or in the studio. Tomorrow I’m going to get the T 40 Hiwatt. A real gem finally at an affordable price. Best regards
Congrats!
I recently got hold of a Hiwatt T40 HD and to me, that’s the closest I reckon I’ll get to the Gilmour sound unless you get the “Little D†(Gilmour custom Hiwatt Amp)
Yep, those are great :) The Little D is not a Gilmour Signature amp. Hiwatt wrongly claimed it to be or marketed it that way but it’s far from being a “clone”. Do a quick search for the Little D here on the page for my views and comments on that. Cheers!
Hey again Bjorn,
I was looking at get the hi tone eclipse 1×12 cab. It is supposed to be as close to the original fane crescendo as possible and it sounds great. I have never boughten a tube amp head before so I’m uncertain what amp Head would compliment this. Ideally I would really really prefer the amp head to be no more than $500. Also this would be used in my bedroom in my house 80% of the time. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Also the speaker is 150 watt 16 ohm only.
You might want to check out the Hiwatt Tube Series. For David’s tones, they’re a great match for your cab. The Laney Lionheart amps also go very well with Fanes speakers. You should be aware though that those Fane speakers are very bright, with a huge headroom. There shouldn’t be any problem but if you’re looking for something that might be a better and easier option for bedrooms, then you might want to check out a pair of Celstions or similar as they often sound much better on lower volume levels.
Hi Bjorn,
I currently am using a Mesa Mk 3 Combo. I never see any comment on Mesa amps for Gilmour tones .
I don’t mean to waste your time on this but I am curious if you have had any experience using Mesa and whether you think they are a viable option to achieving his tone.
I can certainly vouch for the head room in this amp, it has stacks especially with a 59′ NOS 5751 in the clean channel and evidence siren for the speaker cable to help with the dynamics etc…
I seen Dave use a couple on a late night show one time but they rarely get a mention other than him using one as a pre-amp.
Martin.
There are lots of mentiones of Mesa amps on this page. David did use a MkI head as a preamp during the Wall 1980-81 and About Face 1984 tours as well as a MkIII during the 1987-90 Momentary Lapse of Reason tour. His main setup for the 1984 About Face album was a combination of a Boss HM2 and the MkI for distortion sounds.
I use the Dual Rectifier a lot myself. Mesa amps are by and large based on Fender amps, with a fairly mids scooped tone and lots of headroom. Some of the newer models has multi channel options for more British tones as well. Great amps and definitely well worth checking out for David’s tones.
Thanks for the reply Bjorn,
I was at the Wall shows in 1980 at Earls Court, two nights and seen him on the About Face tour at Hammersmith Odeon both nights too. I wasn’t aware he was using Mesa but then I was only 18 when I seen the Wall and only playing guitar for 18 months, so i was oblivious to all that.
Obviously I missed the comments about Mesa on your page so I apologise for that.
I’ve had this particular amp since August 1988. I got it the day after Floyd played Manchester on the Momentary Lapse Of Reason Tour.
I just wanted to check if it was a decent platform to base those kind of tones on. Most of the comments seem to be based on Laney, Hiwatt (obviously) and Reeves, Fender etc.
Thanks for the feedback, best to you
Martin
The Mesa is hard to spot and he did only use it as a preamp combined with pedals and the Hiwatts but it’s there :) You’re so lucky to have seen those shows! Cheers!
Hi Bjorn,
Happy New Year to you and greetings of the season. I’ve got a Laney Cub head and cab which is fantastic! Really like it. I’m looking to buy a L20 combo to use as well. Just wondering, can you tell me what the differences are, if indeed there are any, between the 1×12 and 2×12 versions?
Kind regards,
Ben.
Sonically they’re identical but the 2×12″ will give you a bit more headroom and obvisouly more volume. You will probably notice a bigger and more balanced tone as well with the two speakers but it depends on how you’ll be using the amp and how loud you need to play. For bedroom I would say that the 1×12 is more than enough.
Thanks for the reply. I’m planning to use it for small to medium gigs, rehearsals, jamming and home use. Something to cover all the bases. I think that the 1×12 will be more than enough but I like the idea of the headroom that the 2×12 will give. Decisions, decisions!
Hi Ben,
Bjorn answered your question technically and nicely, also I read ( if I am wrong please correct me Bjorn ) L20 Combo 1×12 comes with Celestion G12H BUT L20 Combo 2×12 comes with Celestion G12H and Celestion Vintage 30
Yes, I think they’ve combined those two on the current model. Mine came with two G12Hs but I’ve replaced them with two V30s.
Hi Bjorn =! what do you think of victory amps?
I’ve never tried them so I can’t really tell…
Hi Björn. Your Gilmourish.com is a realy great site!
I have also a question: I have a Stratocaster and ordered now for pickups SSL-1 on the neck-position and SSL-5 for the bridge-position. Next month I want to buy a tube amp and I’m serious looking for a Fender Blues Junior Lacquered Tweed. It has a 12 ” Jensen-speaker. what do you think, is this a good choise for the Gilmour-sound?
Thanks advance from a ‘young’ (73 years) gitarplayer.
Henk Jongedijk, The Netherlands
Hi Henk! Thanks for the kind words! The Blues Jr is a great sounding amp and it goes very well with David’s tones. Like most Fenders, it lack some of that compression and mid range you need for smooth fuzz and Muff tones so if you’re considering pedals, I would perhaps for something a bit more versatile. Read more about that here.
First of all, best wishes!!. Talking about pedals: a few years ago I saw your videoclip for Electronic Orange, very nice sound so I bought the Pig Hoof (unfortunately, it gaves a big hum on my Mustang III) and I have also a Boss ME 80. So I think I can get (hopely) the most of the Gilmour-sound. I hope the Pig Hoof works better on a tube amp.
Heyo!
I don’t have access to my computer so I couldn’t do a word search on this page to see if this has already been talked about. Any thoughts on the hiwatt little d rig? It’s $2,000 for the 20 watt little d head and wem cabinet. I know there has been info known for sometime about the company that currently owns hiwatt as being shady and this could possibly be a cash grab. Just curious if you have ever played this, if so what were you thoughts on it? Also if none of the above have you heard bad things and it should be avoided? Any info would be super greatly appreciated. Thanks and hope to hear from you soon
Sorry I was able to find out how to do a word search on my iPhone and see you have given your input on this many times. Sorry for the inconvenience and not need to respond. I see it’s pretty cheap and uhhhh a scam lol.
Great work Bjorn. Do you, or anyone know if David did a lot of channel switching on his amp(s) or did he leave it on a clean channel and git his ‘ dirt’ out of pedals?
He’s mostly used single channel amps, like Hiwatt and Fender tweeds. They’re set clean or at the very edge of breakup and all his dirt tones are pedals.
Thank you! Keep up the good work
Hi I have been following you for many years and you are now the leading expert in the Gilmour style sound. Also I am passionate and playing I built my setup. The amplifier I chose is a Hiwatt custom 20 sa210 (by audiobrothers) is very powerful (almost too much) to play in the rehearsal room and also for the evenings in pubs so I have to keep the volume a little controlled. What seems a bit ‘a problem is that the gain is too crunch for me already halfway while I expected a little’ cleaner. Also the tone is too high and I have to compensate by raising the bass a lot and keep the lows less than 12 o’clock (stat + amp excluded effects only) I like the sound of the live gdansk 2006. What do you think of the Custom 50 sa212 combo? which years according to you has the best production of course the vintage but they cost too much. Thank you, sorry my English but I hope I was clear
Hi! Sorry for my late reply. I’m no expert on the Hiwatt history although the early 70s models seems to be favoured. That being said, I would think that a new UK model would be just as good. I’m not that familiar with your SA210 but 10″ will have less headroom that 12″. You should be able to dial ina nice clean tone in any case. These amps has lots of headroom. Have you checked the tubes lately? What sort of settings do you have? What sort of pickups and pedals do you use? Everything has an effect on the headroom.
Dear Bjorn:
What about the Roland Jazz Chorus 120?
Love this website btw, thank you for all.
Greetings.
Thanks! A little too bright and clean for my taste but you can definitely get some nice Gilmour tones with the right pedals.
Bjorn,
Your site is fantastic. Congratulations.
What’s you opinion about Marshall Plexi for replicate Gilmour’s tone, handle with pedals, specially Big Muff?
Thanks again.
Marshall is much more aggressive sounding than Hiwatts, Fenders etc. You can easily dial in some nice clean tones but the mid range, top and compression will make most gain pedals sound considerably heavier or more aggressive. Muffs especially. Still, you should be able to get some really nice and suitable Gilmour tones with it. You can compensate some with lower output pickups and pedals with less gain.
Bjorn, and Orange’s amps, like Tiny Terror?
Awesome amp but it’s best suited for rock and metal. Not much headroom going on there.
Hey Bjorn,
Love your new album. I have a fender bassbreaker 45 head. Do you have any experience with them ???
I have a pedal setup almost identical to DG and I was wondering if you could offer any advice on setting the head. I have replaced the stock tubes with Mullards and that was definitely a change for the better. Haven’t really had the opportunity to crank it up yet. Way too loud for my home studio.
It’s sort of a mix between the Bassman and Blues Jr. Perhaps a bit more compression and gain than both. I think it sounds great but like all Fender amps, it’s got less mid range and compression than a Marshall or Hiwatt. Settings are always hard to recommend because it depends on your guitar, pedals and how you’re using the amp but I’d start with setting the amp up for a nice clean tone. Be carefuk with the treble and try to increase the mids a little. Find the right balance between the pre and output stages of the amp and you should have a nice platform for your pedals. Again, this is not a Hiwatt, so you would have to set your pedals to match the amp and not copy any of David’s settings.
Thanks Bjorn, that is very helpful. I was trying to use Daves settings that you provided and it is muddy as hell. Guess it’s experiment time.
Always a good idea to experiment. Settings rarely translate between different amps. Nor between two seemingly identical rigs.
Thanks again for your advice Bjorn, and while I was working on getting the right clean amp tone to start i got an early Christmas present. A providence chrono delay.😀 I.plugged it in on its own after establishing my clean tone and flat out nailed run like hell.Now it’s time to start tweaking the rest of the pedals.
Thanks again and have a Merry Rockin Christmas 🎸😎🎸
After about an hour. I’ve got my clean down and I’m getting ready to break out the pedalboard. But I remember someone asking you about how David got such sustain on 5 a.m.
Well… The chrono does it on its own. With a low echo hardness(tape) 300 ms with the beat split at 8 o’clock I am able to hold or bend a note with incredible sustain without hearing the echo.
Pass it on
Awesome!
Hi, Bjorn!
I recently purchased my first tube stack, a new Lionheart 20 head with the matching 2×12 Celestion G12 cab.
Still getting to know it, but what I noticed is that my Vick Audio Overdriver (especially) and Analogman BC109 Sunface don’t sound, well…what I expected, they would!
1. The amp has less compression, than what I expected, it reminds me of a Vox AC15, I once had. Would you suggest some settings, that would make the rig work better?
2. I also believe I must replace those two pedals, with something more versatile, without compromising that vintage flavour. Something that relies less on the amp you are playing through…
I think Buffalo TDX…But what about the distortion unit?
Any ideas would be much appreciated!
Have a lovely holiday!
The clean channel is definitely in that Vox vibe, while the gain channel is closer to a Marshall JTM/Fender Bassman, with more compression and mids. Settings depends on your pickups, pedals and where you’ll be using the pedals. Try my settings but keep in mind that they might not fit your setup:
gain channel, bright mode, drive between 1-2 depending on how hot your pickups are, volume as desired – I play loud! – bass 6, mids 6, treble 2, reverb off, tone 2.
Those vintage circuit pedals are very sensitive to the amp and its character. The Lionheart has a lot of compression but not as much mids as a Hiwatt so you might want to look into something more versatile. The TDX goes very well with the amp. Do check out the OCD and Vick Audio Tree of Life too. All three doubles as distortion and compliments each other very well.
So, boosting bass and mids, while lowering treble and tone (which doesn’t work, as the presence control in other amps, right?).
Tone and Bright controls, homework needed..!
Without (too) much amp volume the Overdriver sounds nowhere near its potential. This pedal is unlike anything else I have ever tried, but many times I struggle making it work!
I might try Buffalo Powerbooster and TD-X. As of distortion a V2 by Vick Audio, or a more modern and versatile Muff, Patriot, or Vick’s Muffs.
Most mid rangy and compressed pedals I have heard don’t sound appealing to me…
Have you tried the pedals on the gain channel? That should provide more compression and mid range.
I had not noticed your last comment…Two months later!
I mainly use the Drive Channel, yes. Drive 3-3.5, Volume 3-4 for the bigger venues we are playing. Even with the Mids control high my Strat (with voodoo 69 pickups) gets lost.
I will try other pedals too, but I need a smaller amp for 50-100 people bars we are playing now.
I think of the 5watt Lionheart Combo, with Buffalo FX TDX and Patriot to stay as close to the combination of Overdriver and BC109.
What do you think? Would they work on such a small amp?
Yes I think that would work. It will provide the same platform as your bigger amp.
Hi Bjorn,
I bought a Blackstar HT5 combo based on your reviews.
Great amp indeed but I would love to upgrade speakers for more headroom I was thinking about the G12M greenback, or the G12M-65 Creamback witch one you suggest, any of these or something else?
also I was thinking to change the stock tubes to JAN-GE 12AX7WA NOS 12BH7.
What’s your thoughts please.
Thanks in advance
Higher wattage speakers will add more headroom. So will lower output pickups and lower gain pedals.
Hi Bjorn,
I’m Looking for an Hiwatt, on the second hand market i can buy an Hiwatt T20 and a Hiwatt hi gain for 150€ difference. According to you, which one sound better for Gilmour tones and bedroom setup ?
Do you know the difference between an Hiwatt Hi gain and the Hiwatt SA 212 ? I saw on forums the Hi Gain had the same clean circuit than an hiwatt custom but I find that hard to believe…what do you think?
Thanks
Cheers,
Julien
Both amps are great and will definitely provide a powerful Gilmour basis for your pedals. The High Gain has a normal channel or mode that’s very similar to the old amps. You can switch it up for more gain. The T20 his based on the old Custom range, with a couple of modern features. You could go either way but ultimately it depends on what you’re looking for and how you’ll be using the amp.
Hello Bjorn! Thank you very very much for all your effort you put into your work. It helped me a lot and your knowledge is impressive.
I’m going for the Laney Lionheart L5. The head (L5) + speaker (Laney LT112) costs approximately 150 € more than the combo version (L5T112). Would you still recommend buying the head + speaker version instead of the combo? And could you please explain in a short way why? Thank you very very much indeed!
-Karl
I haven’t A/B tested them but they should operate more or less the same. The 212 cab has more headroom but the 112 should be the same as the combo.
Hi again Bjorn,
Sorry for lots of questions by me. :)
What do you think about Hi-Tone amps with Eclipse cabs? Did you try them or heard anything?
And do you know the major or minor differences between Reeves and Hi-Tone? Thanks.
I haven’t tried the HiTone amps but they are based on the original Hiwatt specs. Based on what I’ve read, they seem to get superb reviews. The guys invlved are also closely associated with the Dave Reeves estate, The Reeves amps are very close and I doubt that you would hear a difference unless you do a properly set up A/B test. I’ve had mine for years and couldn’t be happier.
Bjorn,
In terms of Gilmour’s tone, what do you think about Fender Twin ou an amp with dumble’s sound.
Thanks
Depends on what you’re looking for. The Twin and Dumble are on the far oposite sides of the tone spectrum so you can’t compare the two.
I’m sorry for the question, I’m a beginner in guitar. In Brazil we have a great dealer of boutique amps called T Miranda that recreate this two amps. I would like to by a new amp. I love the sound of Twin, but I’m afraid how it react with a Big Muff.
I’m not familiar with that brand. The Twin Reverb has very little mid range and compression and you will probably find that Muffs sound harsh and bright with it. The best Fenders for Muffs are the old Tweeds, like the Deluxe and Bassman.
Hi Bjorn,
I’m planning to buy a Strat along with a decent amp. I’ll buy a MIM Std Stratocaster but I’m having trouble with the amp choice. I don’t want to pay more than I need. I never played electric (or any) guitar before. Can you recommend a amp within a price range 250€-450€? I will use it at home all the time. I cannot play it at very high volumes because of the neighbours but mostly there will be nobody in the home and the neighbours won’t hear much unless volume is very high since it’s not an apartment. I thought about a lot of amps but cannot decide so please recommend me the ones that first comes into your mind within that price range. Also I don’t think I’ll buy pedals for a long time so amp should some built-in effects I guess. Waiting for your answer before buy it :)
Have a nice day,
Baris.
My best budget tip is the Boss Catana. My best overall tip is the Laney Lionheart Studio. It’s perfect for bedroom playing, you’ll get a tube amp that will last decades and it’s a perfect platform for any pedal.
Now this is going to sound really, REALLY friggin’ weird…but any opinions on the EVH 5150 III LBX II? NOW, before I get lambasted since the thing is marketed as a high-gain Ãœber rock/metal amp, it IS still a Fender amp and it DOES have a sparkly, jangly clean channel with the Green channel; imagine a Blackface-era amp with more mids and a little bit more compression (on top of the basically non-existent compression in Blackface Fenders). Unorthodox? Definitely. Usable for those Gilmourish cleans? I think so (case in point, here’s a clip of it being played bright and clean with a Fender Tele. https://youtu.be/JrFS6O39VX8?t=15m26s).
Never tried one so I can’t really tell. Based on the specs alone I would say that with the right guitar and pedals, it would do the job but again, I’ve never tried one.
Hey Bjorn,
I’m looking at three different amps right now and all of them are the combo versions due to somewhat tight funds. I don’t know if I have a particular era Im shooting for I guess anything the wall and before that mostly. The amps are a Hiwatt custom 20, Laney Lionheart l20t, and Laney cub 12R. At the moment it is just for my house but I am looking into finding a band again so that could change as far and playing in small venues go. Is there one you would recommend over the others. Right now a have a American start running into a SUF rams head, Whammy, jam waterfall, dp boonar into crappy amps I would rather not name in public or my ego would be hurt lol. Thanks for any help!
I can’t really praise the Lionhearts enough. In any case I recommend testing a couple of amps to get an idea of how different types of amps behave with different guitars.
Hey Bjorn!
I’m currently playing on a Blackstar HT5 (head with 2 celestion V30), only on the clean channel but I’m not really happy with the dynamic of the sound.
So i’m considering chnaging it with a Laney CUB Head or Peavey Classic 20H.
Which one seems to be the best choice for you?
Will I be able to get good british tone, like on the Laney Cub, with the Peavey?
I’ve already take a look on the Laney Lionheart 20 but it seems way too loud for bedroom playing…
Thank you in advance!
Max
I think you would find the Peavey to be too similar to the Blackstar. They’re not identical and the Peavey has a more classic 70s tone but they both have that massive mid range and lots of compression. The Cub is kind of a mix between a Vox and early Marshall with a more open sounding character. Great platform for pedals. I strongly recommend looking into the Lionheart L5 or Studio. They should fit any bedroom/livingroom environment and personally I think they’re supperior to the ones you’ve mentioned… but that’s my opinion :)
Thank you so much for your reply!
Is the L5 as good as the Cub in term of pedal platform?
And last question, do you think that the L5 is enough for small venue (Bar, club, etc…)?
Thanks in advance!
I think it’s an overall better amp and yes, it will work nicely in a small club.
Hey Bjorn!
I’m gonna buy combo Laney Lionheart L20t with 1×12 Celestion Heritage G12H. But I’m not sure if I should change the speaker with Celestion V30 or maybe I can buy L20t 2×12 with Celestion Heritage G12H and V30. I wanna learn your opinion about changing the speakers. Lionheart with Celestion Heritage G12H is it ok for the job and can handle any pedal I pluged in or do you have a better advice about speaker or amp for Gilmourish sound?
I think both speakers works very well with that amp and the combo of both is a good approach. The main difference between the two is that the G12H has a bit more sparkle and emphasis on the high mids, while the V30 is an overall darker and perhaps smoother speaker. I like both.
So do you strongly recommend Laney Lionheart for Gilmourish sound?
It’s not a Hiwatt so it’s not dead on David’s amps. What I like about the Lionheart is that it’s incredibly versatile. You can easily get some nice AC30 sounds on the clean channel and even some early Fender Tweed tones. The gain channel is typical for early Marshall Plexi/JTM sounds. Still, it’s lots more. A great platform for pedals as well and although it doesn’t have that Hiwatt chime and bright upper mids thing, I would have no problem doing a Floyd show with very convincing Gilmour tones. Definitely one of my favourite amps.
Hey Bjorn, congrats for the site!
Do you have any experience with the blues Jr. Tweed?
Thanks! Great sounding amp, with a bit more mid range and compression than most Fenders. Great with pedals. As far as I know the Tweed is the same as the stock version but you can get these with different speakers.
A friend of mine got a bugera G5 (some say its a copy of blackstart HT5) at a discount.
He almost hated it — too much gain!
he was at the point of returning it, which would be shame because of all the bells and whistles packed in that amp
i came across this article
http://slowgroove.blogspot.ca/2009/07/blackstar-ht-5h-amp-head-review-and.html?m=1
he took the amp to a tech, and mentioned the article, the tech kept the amp for a couple of days and recommended a change to 5751 instead of the tubes mentioned in the article
40 dollars later and my buddy is a happy camper. he says he is addicted to the drive channel of the amp
Hello Bjorn,
Do you have any suggestions on what kind of cabinet would sound good with a Bugera V22HD?
The amp is based on the AC30 and I think they sound good with Celstion Greenbacks G12M. Tight low end and a bit of sparkle, without sounding too spiky.
I have a Bugera V22 (modeled after VOX) that sounded amazing on its own and with some pedals. But gave me so much frustration when I wanted to go thick soft growl or thick distortion (like AC/DC) or fuzz,
Biorn’s posts and responses opened my eyes (and ears:-) and set me on my path of looking for pedals that would work with my amp
the beauty of a clean channel is that one can shape the sound so many different ways with the right pedals — and the right pedals were a lot easier to narrow down with the wealth of info here
I have three pedals before my Bugera’s pre-amp: Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKIII, Wampler Slostortion, and Fairfield Circuitry’s Crossover fuzz. Only Catalinbrad and one of the others are on at any time.
I have been able to get any sound I thought I heard in my head :-|) from clean strums and arpeggios to thick cascading distortion — only three pedals before pre-amp — with only two on at a time. I could also manage set each pedal to a setting I don’t have to change. I just switch things on and off and do the rest with my guitar’s volume knobs.
I usually play humbuckers of either my PRS or ES339
Awesome! Thanks for sharing :)
Hi,
have you tried any of the Mooer amp heads (AC model, Fender Bassman model)?
Haven’t had the chance yet but some of the clips I’ve heard sound very promising.
Hi Bjorn,
I’m using a Vox Ac30 C2. I love his clean sound, and I’m happy with the overdrive tone (Wampler Plexidrive). My problem is the distorsion sound (Carl Martin Plexitone Single Channel), sometimes it sounds with little gain or too skinny.
I usually combine the Plexitone with Dyna Comp or Plexidrive, depending on the song.
Do you think it’s a good combination? What would you recommend me?
What do you mean by too “skinny”? Does it lack low end? Most Marshall pedals has a bit of low end roll off and lots of mid range and compression, which can sound a bit thin at times. Epescially on lower volume and smaller amps. Try a pedal with more low end but also try to roll off the treble on your amp.
How would I set the EQ on a Bugera V5 since it’s only one tone knob on the amp
It’s a master tone control so you would have to find the sweetspot for your guitar and pedals.
Hey Bjorn,
Firstly your website is incredible! I remember discovering it a few years ago and being blown away by it (mostly by how little i understood!). Having rediscovered your website again recently, it has encouraged me to take the guitar back up again after a long hiatus and so am looking to upgrade some of my gear.
I am looking to get a more substantial amp than my current tiny Fender practice amp. Budget demands that i look for second hand amps, the things you suggested above are either not available secondhand (currently at least) or are out of my price range. As such, a Vox VT30 at a reasonable price has caught my eye. Not sure if you’re familiar with these amps. but they are modelling amps with a tube power amp which supposedly gives you a tube like sound. This particular model also has a power scaling option allowing you to scale from 30W to 1W, which i hope will allow me to get the most out of the amp (and pushing it at low volume to achieve Brian May style mids boosts!) without getting into trouble! I am currently using a relatively cheap and nasty Epiphone SG (not my first choice) with humbuckers, not sure of the type/make but they are the stock ones.
My question is about Vox amps and their tone – i’ve seen you say that Vox amps are similar to Fenders in that they don’t have much mid range or compression, however this particular model of amp allows you to adjust bass, mids and treble. Would this allow me to compensate for the scooped mids and allow more diversity with pedals? I have seen you state that Vox type amps should not be used for fuzz, muffs, powerboosts etc. however may these controls allow for fuzz/muff? The modeling amp also has an AC30 preset (not sure how accurate it is though!), i have seen you say in comments that Muffs goes very well with the AC30 – do you think i could use this preset to carry Muffs?
Is this not the case with all amps also? I know from your site that Fenders/Voxs have a different EQ profile to Marshalls for example, but can this not be adjusted and compensated for with the treble, mids, bass settings? Surely you could run a mids scooped pedal through a mids scooped amp as long as the settings were correct? Or can you do this with a pedal – e.g. using an overdrive to smooth a muff for a vox?
Apologies for this essay and barrage of questions! This information is all very new to me and a bit overwhelming. I know all of these questions are very subjective and that you’re not overly familiar with the Vox modeling amps, but any advice you could provide would be incredibly helpful. You are the guru and know infinitely more than me about all of this, so it would be really great to be pointed in the right direction.
Thank you so much for your help and this incredible site, long may it continue!
Jack
Hi Jack! Thanks for the kind words! I have written about this in the Knowing which pedals to choose for your amp feature. Vox amps are, as you mention, similar to Fender in that they typically have a scooped tone, with emphasis on the bass and treble rather than mids. You can compensate to some extent by rolling back the treble and bass to make room for the mid range, which is what Brian May does and high volume will also make the speakers and tubes produce mid range and compression. For David’s tones I usually recommend something different than fuzz and Muffs for Fender and Vox as talked about in the linked to feature. Increasing the mid range on a Fender won’t make it into a Marshall. There is much more to an amp than the EQ controls.
Thanks very much Bjorn!
Have you tried the EHX Crayon at all? Will you be doing a review?
Thanks,
Jack
No review unless they send me one. It’s well worth checking out though. Very close to the Tube Driver.
Awesome, thanks Bjorn. Saw you’re doing a review of the green Russian muff, assume the crayon would work well with the green Russian?
Thanks,
Jack
I would think so yes.
Hi Bjorn
ever heard of this brand ?
http://www.fxamps.com/
they produce high quality amps and a very intriguing DG20 (DG like…you know)
“Are you into that floydian psyche rock from the 70′ ? Well at Fxamps, we definitely are, and to honour its maestro guitarist, we offer you the DG-20, with that fantastic deep and ultra dynamic clean sound, heard on so many records. The DG-20 is also a superb pedals platform.”
but it seems quite expensive…
Haven’t tried the amp but I have a review of their Heartbeat delay coming up. Awesome stuff!
Hi Bjorn, wow what a great website you have! By far the best!! I want to get as close as possible to the Animals sound. I have a few amps and after reading your Tone section it kinda explained a few things about them. How would you, if possible, classify these amps that i own.
1. 1997 Blues jr (considering changing the speaker for Eminence Rex as you suggested or Celestion Vintage 30)
2. 1964 original Fender BandMaster
3. Dr Z Maz Sr 38 combo older version from 2004 with Celestion Vintage 30 and G112
I would then build my pedalboard based on this; and i want to use a Big Muff like Muffeleta. I live in Canada and some of the amps above in your article are difficult to get. Thanks!
All three are fairly similar, with a distinct Fender character. Still, they all have a bit of mid range and compared to a Twin they’re much more pedal friendly. In regards to the Blues Jr I would definitely go for the Rex speakers. Don’t think the V30s sound that good with the amp.
Thanks for your input and your great website Bjorn! I will go with the Rex.
Make a review for the Katana, and how it takes pedals for gilmour stuff! It would be great for bedroom setup options.
Send me one and I’ll make a review :)
Can’t do that :(
Is that i just saw you complementing one in some other post!
Thank you for your website!!
Hi Bjorn, congratulations for your great Website and many thanks for your work. My current amp is a Blackstar HT-5R. I think it sounds great and the overdrive channel is fantastic, but when using it with my pedalboard I think I need an amp with a better clean channel and a bit more headroom. I play at home at moderate volume and I am also interested on having a headphone connection for night practice. Looking your comments here and some other sources online I think that the Laney Lionheart L5-Studio head would be a very good option and I have two questions for you:
1. Do you use the FX loop on your Lionheart or do you place all your pedals in front of the amp?
2. Can I use the head with headphones without connecting any speaker? I think this could be very bad on a normal head but maybe the L5 Studio is ready to run only with the headphones connected.
I run all my FXs into the front. The clean channel has lots of headroom but I mainly use the gain channel with the gain around 8 o’clock, which provides a nice crunchy clean tone with a bit of mid range hump.
I think you can use the earphones as a load but I’m not 100%. Check out their site for details.
Hello, I read your site all the time it is full of fantastic information. I have a 57 fender tweed twin and was wondering if you had any recommendations on the treble and bass settings. Also I have a rat that sounds well, but is there a good pedal to use as colorsound power booster.
Thank you! Amp settings depends very much on what tones you want and how the amp interacts with your guitar and pedals. In general I wuold keep in the EQ controls fairly moderate, around noon, with the treble slightly rolled back. The Colorsound can sound very bright and harsh on Twin amps so you might want to look into pedals with more mid range, like the Boss BD2, Fulltone OCD, EHX Crayon etc…
Thank you so much for your help, I will try out the BD2.
Hi again Bjorn,
more stupid questions from me :D
Have you tried the Hiwatt Custom 20 Combo or Head and/or can give an impression on it?
It only has the 3-band EQ, but I assume it sounds similar to the “big brothers” the DR504 and 103?!
Looking to get one maybe next year or so…
Cheers
Phil
It has the classic Hiwatt tone but less headroom than the bigger Custom 50 and 100. Still, you can get nice clean tones with it and it plays very loud.
OK thanks! Yeah the less headroom is obvious ;)
I tried one last year in England, but didn’t know how it compared to the DR504 or 103 and I couldn’t test how much I can turn up the gain to come close to breakup, because it had a Hiwatt 2×12 cab assigend to it and was too loud for the store :D
I assume you can turn up the gain to maybe 4 or 5 without breakup though …
Well, how fast it breaks up depends on the tubes, speakers, pickups and pedals. Everything interacts so it can break up sooner or later, depending on these factors. In any case, you should be able to get a nice and loud clean tone with the amp.
Cool! Thank you for clarifying!
ah damn forgot to ask: Would it work well with a 2×12 Celestion V30 cab?
Yep
Bjorn,
I wanted to throw this out there for your many readers and also get your opinion, if you have experience. I have owned or played most of your usual suspects as for amps, chasing the Gilmour Sound. These would include the Laney Cub and Lionheart, Peavy Classic 30 and 50, Blues Jr, and I owned a Reeves Custom 50 combo for a while. I will say I wish I had gone with the head and cab on the Reeves. I didn’t keep the combo for very long, mostly because I didn’t feel it sounded better than my Mesa Lone Star, for the price difference. I will say it was a bit cleaner and more transparent, but I could dial in almost identical sounds and the Lone Star cost me about 1k less American$. The other day however, I had to try a new amp out for practice, because my Lone Star was getting serviced. It was a DV Mark 40 2×12. My band mate brought it to practice so I could try it out. I figured it would get me by for the night. By mid practice, my entire band was scratching there heads like where has this thing been all this time. We were all blown away. The amp sounds fantastic clean, but equally incredible with my Tube Driver and my M1 Fuzz. All the Floyd tones were in there and it took me no effort to dial them in. Another great point about the amp is that it only weighs in at 47 lbs for a 212 combo. I have to be honest and tell you I spent the entire practice trying to talk myself out of buying it……it just didn’t seem possible. I had never even heard of the thing. After we played CNumb, it was a wrap, and I purchased it on the spot. Here is the kicker, $400 US. I got a killer deal on it, but you can find them for 500 to 550 all day. It has 2 ax7’s pre and 1Ax7 plus 2 EL 34’s in the power section. I am happier with my Gilmour tones than I ever have been and would highly recommend it to the fans on this site, especially for a budget rig to not break you bank or your back! Do you have any experience with this amp?
Chad
Never tried that one so I can’t really comment on it.
Hello, Bjorn. Would you recommend any solid states at all for people who don’t want to deal with tubes, or are on a tight budget such as Orange or a Marshall, or anything that comes to mind? I know solid state has come a long way since it’s inception.
Indeed and I haven’t really had the time to explore the “new” generation solid states. One of the more exciting surprises was the Katana from Boss, which I think is a phenomenal practice and bedroom amp. Having said that, tube amps has come a long way too and you can get great stuff for very affordable prices. My best tip, regardless of whether you decide on solid state or tubes, is that you spend your money on the guitar and amp and worry about the pedals later. Going for the cheapest alternative ampwise will cost you later, when you try to find pedals that can “fix” the amp. That doesn’t mean that you have to buy something expensive but try a couple of models within a price range that you think is reasonable to get an idea of what’s out there.
re: fender blues jr
1 does not sound as a classic fender at all!
2 does not have a classic fender sound!
What is a classic Fender sound? The Bassman doesn’t sound like the Twin… both are considered classic.
Hey Bjorn! I have a 1974 Peavy VT Classic Series. It’s a 50W 2X12. The CD loop is way underpowered. I’m thinking about building a little box that has an input jack into a volume potentiometer, and then an output jack. Then after that I’ll have my effects loop pedals, then at the end my Ernie Ball volume pedal. I have two questions about this. 1) if that first volume box isn’t powered will it let the signal through, and 2) will it bring up the volume of does it have to be powered to do so? Thanks Bjorn!
I’m really not a technical expert. Sorry…
Bjorn: I’m ready to move “up” to a higher output amp than the Laney LH-20 (excellent amp). I’m looking at your beloved Reeves Custom 50 vs the HI-TONE HT50-DG. They are comparable in price and specs. What thoughts do you have on how they compare? I’m playing at medium/small stage levels with a full-on PF tribute band.
I have a used/road-worn HI-TONE 2×12 cabinet with their custom-made Fane replica speakers ( somewhat dark sounding with the Lionheart) and another custom built 2×12 open back cabinet with a an Avatar Fane copy and a Warehouse Speakers ET-90 (also close to a Fane speaker). thoughts?
Sorry for my late reply, Gerard. Although I haven’t tried the HiTone amps I will assume, based on the reviews I’ve read, that they are very similar to the old Hiwatts and the Reeves Custom amps. I guess you could go either way but I’m very happy with my Reeves.
What do you think of the Kemper?
Don’t have much experience with it.
Where is the Marshall dsl-40c?! Outstanding amp.
hey björn, im about to get a 1977 custom hiwatt 50. the seller offers me a 2×12 fitte with tone tubby red inside( the ones with the arm on it)
do you think the will do the job to get the right sound out of the hiwatt? or what do you think about the weber crescendo clones?
any other tips for the hiwatt?
Thanks oliver
I’m no expert on Hiwatt history so you probably want to ask on a vintage amp forum. There are different opinions on the different eras of the amp but in any case I would be very careful with buying old vintage amps unless you know what you’re doing and trust the guy. Old amps has often seen a lot of abuse or been stored away so you should expect some wear and possibly some required maintenance.
thank you so much for your info.
did you ever try the tone tubby alnicos?
woukd you recommend the old sound city 2×12 with standard speakers?
thank you for such an amazing website and all your hard work, oliver
Haven’t tried the Tubbys. The old Sound City cabinets usually had Fane or Sound City/Dallas Arbiter speakers in them. They sounded more or less the same. Lots of headroom and fairly bright.
Guten Tag Bjorn,
How do you think I should setup the Equalizer on a Bugera V22HD to emulate the tones on Dark Side of The Moon?
I have no idea. Sorry…
Hi Bjorn,
I was wondering if you knew any rack valve (pre)amp that I could pair with the Two Notes Torpedo Live? (with a good british-type clean).
The website is a mine of information. It’s awesome! Keep up the good work.
Cheers,
Lozo
Thank you! I don’t really have that much experience with rack preamps. I use a UA 610 myself but I haven’t tried that with the Torpedo.
Hi Bjorn, thanks for all your hard work. You are doing us all such a favour with this site.
What do you think of an older Laney VC50 with 2×12 HH Invaders? I can get one for a reasonable price, I reckon it will take Muffs better than a Blues Jnr. I have my 10W Strauss for home use.
I don’t have much experience with those. From what I can remember, the cleaner channels are based on American Fender tones, while the gain channels are more Marshall. It’s an overall vintage voiced amp but a lot of gain. The HH speakers are pretty flat sounding.
I picked it up, and the speakers have to go. Maybe look at some from the WGS range, or perhaps a set of Greenbacks. It’s a good, versatile amp (you are correct about the difference between the channels), but the speakers are pretty awful. Too “fizzy”.
The drive channel can be run as a hi-gain channel or a very hi-gain, for grunge/metal sounds. If you roll back the gain so that it is just breaking up a bit, like a bluesy tone, the amp takes Muffs quite well.
Thanks for an awesome website. I’ve been using it as a reference in particular about Muffs.
I use a 5e3 and while I love it, it’s not clean at all so I’m thinking of adding another one more as a pedal platform. A couple of questions: thoughts on the Vox MV50 clean?
Also, speakers are very important. I assume for a Gilmour tone it would be 12″ ceramic Celestions?
Hi! Thanks for your kind words! Sorry for my late reply.
I usually don’t recommend Vox amps for David’s tones or in combo with Big Muffs beacuse they lack the mid range and compression, which you need to get those smooth tones that cuts through. One of my favourite amps is the Laney Lionheart series. They can do pretty comvincing Vox tones with the right settings but also early Marshall and it has enough mid range and compression to handle pretty much any pedal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJspzE9QUD0
To all Gilmour fans…I ‘ve already posted a loose jam based on Shine On. This is the lap steel solo part, using again the THR-5 amplifier.
Highly recomended!
Cheers!
Greetings Bjorn,
I’m about to buy a tube amp based on your suggestions, and I wanted to ask you, how can i plug in headphones, and eliminated the sound come from the speakers? the amp has a Speaker emulated output.
Thanks very much indeed in advance.
There are severa models coming out that’s aimed at home recording and bedroom setups. Check out the Laney Lionheart Studio 5. Awesome amp and a great platform for pedals.
Thanks very much for your reply Bjorn, do you think the Blackstar HT5 is good for silent practice?
Yes, a nice Marshally amp but a good platform for most pedals.
So after month of experimenting I believe I need some help. I have a Cub 12R which I love, but it’s difficult for me to get my big muff to behave itself. Do you have some recommendations for big muff settings which could work a little better without getting so thick and muddy?
What pickups and Muff do you have?
Pickups: ProBuckers on Epi Les Paul and whichever ones were stock on a Mexican Strat from 1997.
Nano Big Muff Pi.
I can get close to useful tones by adjusting pretty much every setting on both the amp and the IL Torino OD into which the Muff frequently runs using boost mode.
I think the main issue is your pickups and Muff model. Nothing wrong with it but it’s not quite what David’s using so you will have to compromise. Probuckers and the Standard MIM pickups has a pretty high output and a lot of mid range, which can make them sound dark with a Muff. The Muff you have is also much darker and more saturated than the early 70s Muffs David used. I would try to keep the settings on theMuff fairly moderate with the tone around 11:00 or noon for more top end and set the amp as clean as possible and maybe roll off some low end. See this feature for some amp setup tips.
Hi! Please: Plexi or Bassman? All copy handmade 15w.
Personally I like the Plexi.
Hello bjorn,
For bedroom usage and occasionally home recording, which one is more suitable. Laney lionheart L5 combo or laney lionheart L20 combo.
Thanks,
Bank
Depends on how loud you’re able to play. The L20 has a bit more headroom with the higher wattage but the L5 is more than suitable for a typical bedroom setup and recording. Tonewise they’re identical.
I picked up a used Laney L5 studio this weekend for £260. Already getting better tones than my fender 68 Princeton that cost 4x the price. The L5 came with a cheap subzero 1×10 cab. Any recommendations on a better cab? Or would you recommend buying a different speaker. The weber Thames are hard to get in England and fane crescendos cost a bomb. Any recommendations for a different cab or speaker would be a great help….I bought the amp off your recommendation and it turned out great. 5w is easily enough for bedroom levels and now I can push the amp and it improves the tone so much. Can’t thank you enough for all the information on this site..
I would go for either a V30 or preferably a G12H, which has a nice sparkle that goes well with the amp. You can pretty much get any cab and get these speakers separately or, check out the Lionheart LT112 or a 1×12″ Marshall, H&K or similar. Personally I don’t think a Fane is a good match for these amps.
Hi Bjorn, what do you think of HiWatt Combos?
Depends on the model and how you’ll be using it but for bedroom, practice and smaller venues they’ll give you a nice platform for your pedals.
Thanks for your quick response Bjorn. So it looks like the laney L5 combo may well suit my situation best, being a bedroom player, ( i can play a bit louder at times lol) You mention using the drive channel for more mids but run clean. Does the drive channel have enough head room to stay clean with a number of pedals and can you get to the L5 amps sweet spot and maintain headroom.. Once again a big thanks from someone still learning all this!
The clean channel is more than capable of handling your pedals but personally, I prefer it when tube amps are pushed slightly. Setting the drive to 1.5-2 (markers) adds a nice compression and a hint of breakup, which makes your pedals sound wamer and more natural. You need to find the right balance between the amp, your pickups and the pedals you’re using.
Hi again Bjorn. As mainly a bedroom only player,I am now very seriously thinking about upgrading my laney cub 12r with THAMES WEBER speaker to a Laney lionheart L20 combo as i want a greater versatility of tones – not just Gilmour.. You mention in one of your comments here that the L20 sounds bigger and warmer even on low volumes so I would just like to be sure that the L20 is a bettter choice than the L5 combo for me, especially as i use a number of pedals with my Classic players 50 strat.. Will I lose any tone quality by not being able to push the L20 as much as an L5 at home volumes – or as you say, it is so versatile that it will still sound way better than my Cub. Any thoughts and advice would be very welcome. Thanks again.
I think the Lionheart is superior to the Cub but having said that, I think you’ll have a hard time finding a better British sounding amp than the Cub in that price range. The Lionheart has a wide range of tones and I think you will find it much more versatile but it does have less mid range than the Cub so you will have to tweak your pedals a bit to match the new tones. Defining a “bedroom” is hard because it depends on how loud you’ll be playing. If your amp will be set to a voluem that’s barely noticeable, it doesn’t really matter what type of amp you’ll be using because you won’t be able to utilize the amp’s character nor the speakers. If you’re allowed the play a reasonable volume levels, then I would say that the L5 is more than enough. It’s loud and it’s got the headroom you need for you pedals. If you’re at garage levels and need the amp for teh occasional rehearsal and gig, then the L20 is the way to go.
I had the L5 in a bedroom studio but traded it in for the L20 for the extra headroom and glad I did. Recently bought a Tone King Sky King though, so have the L20 listed at a killer price on Reverb right now.
Hello (again) Bjorn,
just had some weird issues with my Amp/Pedalboard: I removed my Soul Food to make space for a TC PolyTune 3, that I will be receiving soon. Also I like the sound of my BD2 better with the Laney Cub 12R, which is another reason I ditched the Soul Food ;)
The pedal was placed before my VA Muff and when I turned on the amp and tested the sound it instantly sounded a lot brighter with the Muff on. So I put the Soul Food back in and I think it was back to the “old sound”. I removed it again, tweaked the VA Muff a bit (I had touched it somehow and changed the settings…) and I think it then stayed the same “old” sound as it should be?!
I was getting worried about my new Laney mocking up maybe, which messed up the sound for a few seconds, cause I don’t think it’s an issue with the pedalboard.
Could it be down to the Soul Food taking away a bit of my signal, cause it is not True Bypass?
Or did the Laney briefly failed?
Maybe you have an answer or idea what caused this bollocks, Bjorn…
I do wanna point out that it might also be just my ears that tricked me somehow haha I am still confused about that incident.
Thanks for any help/ideas!
Hard to tell for sure as I haven’t tried your setup but as far as I know, the stock mode on the Soul Food is true bypass and you have to open it up to select buffered. From what you describe, you replaced the Soul Food with a BD2, right?, which has a buffer and therefore, there signal will be brighter because the buffer drives the signal through. The Muff will also sound brighter. Nothing’s wrong. It’s just the nature of your pedals.
Yeah you’re right! My ears just tricked me lol
I turned down the tone on the Muff a bit and it’s cool now :)
I did turn off the in the TC Polytune 3 included “Bonafide Buffer” though, cause I don’t think I need 2 Buffers, right?
Pedal chain now is: TC PolyTune3>Mooer YellowComp>Mooer Orange Ninety>VA Muff>Boss BD2>Mooer ElecLady>TC Flashback
No, one buffer is enough although I would prioritise having a buffer first, to drive the signal through the board and all the way to the amp. Try engaging the Poly and switch off the Flashback buffer…
You mean try switching off the BD2 buffer? The Flashback is already set to True Bypass ;)
I was referring to the Flashback so if that’s already off, then you’re fine :)
Just received my Laney Cub12R yesterday and I tested and compared it with my Fender Mustang, slowly building up from clean sounds to overdrive and the “grand finale” test with my VA Ram’s Head :D
I noticed on the amp drive setting all the way up, which sounds quite good with my Strat, there was a lotta noise coming from the amp, although that is to be expected I assume (also running in 15W mode). Also my pedal board seems to cause a fairly amount of noise in comparison to the Mustang, which again I think is normal?!?!
The best sound (so far) was definitely the VA Muff and the Laney! My god that was a huge difference compared to the Fender Mustang and it sounded so creamy and smooth. You were right on that, Bjorn, when you mentioned it to me a while ago ;)
How would you set up a Boss BD2 with the Laney for a slight crunchy clean tone, like you’ve done it in your latest video featuring the Keeley D&M Drive?
The Cub is a very different sounding amp, as you’ve now discovered :) The increased mid range and compression makes mids scooped pedals, like the Big Muff, sound much smoother and warmer that with a Fender. The increased mid range and compression can often increase the noise level as well but it’s more down to how the amp is designed and what parts are used. I’d keep the BD2 fairly moderate with the volume slightly above unity/flat and the tone around 9-10 o’clock.
Yeah it is quite the difference and I am happy to have my first proper tube amp :)
Thanks for the settings of the BD2! Moderate means the gain also at 12 or more like 9 o’clock?
I am also looking into a setting for boosting the Muff, but I’ve read elsewhere, that the VA Muff doesn’t necessarily need a booster, which I would agree with. Still I’d like to find something to sound like for example live versions of “Pigs” on the Animals Tour ;)
Any recommendations?
I have now tested the VA Muff with my Squier Classic Vibe Tele’s Vintage Style PU and noticed quite the brighter sound in comparison to my Strat with the SSL-5 PU. I think the Tele PU lacks the mid range of the SSL-5?!
Sorry for all the Q’s :D
Moderate is relative to how high you’ve set the amp’s gain. The more headroom you have on the amp the higher you can allow the gain on the pedal. VA Muffs have a 3-way mid range boost/cut switch and when set flat or boosted, you don’t really need a second booster.
The SSL5 have a much higher output, with more mid range and compression, compared to the Classic Vibe so they do sound different.
OK, I had set the gain for like 10:30 o’clock when I tested your recommendation and it sounded quite good. Amp gain on the Laney is like 1.8, so close to breakup.
Yeah I tried to boost the VA Muff but it sounded kinda choked and a bit dull in Flat mode, so I guess I should switch off the BD2, when I wanna use the VA Muff ;)
As for the Tele and Muff: I have to live with the different sound then :D
Thank you, Bjorn, for explaining/helping me out here!
Cheers!
Hello. Any consideration for the Vox AC15, or Roland JC 22?
Regards.
Depends on what sort of tones you’re looking for. Both are on the brighter side and lack the punchy mid range typical of Gilmour’s tones but with the right pedals and a bit of tweaking, you should be able to get close. They’re well worth checking out and they’ve obviously got some classic tones.
Hi Bjorn I have what i hope is a quick question . You mention that the Celesteon G12H speaker is better in the Laney LionHeart L20 than the Thames Weber and also it is a good speaker for the Laney Cub..I currently have a Thames weber in my laney Cub12. Could you tell me which GH speaker you are referring to as i have found a G12H m, a G12 55 ,a G12H 65, a G12 75 anniversary. All of which have different specs..Would the Celestion G12H be a better speaker for the Cub too as the Weber can sound a little bright ? harsh sometimes . Help please!
As you know, the Weber Thames are high wattage, with extremely high headroom. They’re really designed for much bigger amps than the Cub but I too had a cab with them for my Cub and it worked nicely. At least for the tones I needed at the time and the Cub can easily be adjusted to compensate for the high end. I’m very fond of the Celestion G12H 70th Anniversary, which has a slightly brighter top end compared to the V30s, which is also nice but works better for a closed back cab.
Hello Björn,
Thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions. I had originally purchased a blues deluxe and you had suggested it was too bright and loud so I took your advise and I am in the process of exchanging the amp for the Peavey classic 30. I haven’t played the amp yet but I’m sure I will like it since everyone I’ve spoken about it says it’s a great amp. The reason for my comment is that I have recently been looking at the Fender Bassbreaker 45w which is advertised as being more of a British style sounding amp with power scaling from 1w to 45w to go from bedroom to arena and everything in between. It has 3 12AXT preamp tubes and 2 EL84 (power amp) tubes and 2×12 celestion G12V-70 speakers. Unfortunately it does not have an Fx loop or reverb which I don’t care too much about either way. It’s also described as a pedal friendly amp and it sounds warm to my ears from the reviews I’ve seen on YouTube, some even describe it close to a Marshall sound. In your opinion, does this sound like another option that may have not been reviewd by you yet? Or maybe by the specs mentioned would it be a good option to get the sound we’re looking for? I would greatly appreciate your advise. Thanks again!
The Bassbreaker has some of that early Marshall flavour, which again was based on the classic Fender Bassman. Compared to most Fender amps, it’s got more mid range and compression but it’s still got that Fender quality. I haven’t had the chance to try it with pedals but I would imagine that it can handle most pedals pretty well although I’d probably go for something versatile, as described in this feature, and stay clear or be careful with the vintage style fuzz and boosters.
I decided to buy Fender Super Champ X2 instead of Laney Cub 12R. Good or bad choice? I’m after Gilmour’s magical sound. :)
Well, only you can decide whether that was a good choice or not but I think you should be able to dial in some really nice tones with the Fender :)
Hi Bjorn,
I am about to get my first electric guitar (standard strat m.i.m.) and not sure about which amp I should buy. I was planning to buy a Laney Cub 12R but read a few not-positive review about it.
This is the guitar I’m planning to get: https://www.thomann.de/intl/tr/fender_standard_strat_2011_mn_bk.htm
Also I’m not sure about the hardcase. I found this bundle but not sure about the quality of the case :https://www.thomann.de/intl/tr/fender_standard_strat_mn_bk_bundle.htm
Looking forward to see your answer. Have a nice day,
Baris.
Hi Baris. I think the Cub amps are great and hard to beat if you want that classic British tube tone for an affordable price. You can’t expect boutique quality design for that price so I warmly recommend it for practice and studio use but for shows and touring, I’d go for something a bit more rugged.
Hello Bjorn,
May you recommend 2×12 cab to use with jtm45. Now I hesitate between laney lh212 and mesa 212 rectifier. Which one will be more suitable.
Thanks, your website is superb.
It’s the speakers that matters. I often favour the Celestion G12H due to their fat lows and high sparkle. You could also go for V30s but these can often sound a bit too dark… for my taste anyway. As far as I know, the current line of Laney cabs feature a combo of both speakers.
Hello Again Bjorn!
What about the LAB Series L5 amp? I have one that was given to me by Bob Bradshaw (formerly my neighbor here in LA) and it’s running through two Jensen C12’s that by their code are probably vintage (220424). This amp sounds amazingly good. BB King uses is as an alternative to a Twin Reverb which is a gilmoursih amp. I know it’s an SS amp…but it really has a great tone. I also have a Laney LH 20 running through 2 Fane Classic 50’s but in band practice I’m maxing that amp out. Any thoughts on the LAB Series as an alternative to a Twin?
Hi, I’ve never played one myself but I always thought they were similar to the JC-120, which I guess isn’t that far off the Twin…
Hey Bjorn congrats on the new album! I was just curious how you set up the Peavey Classic 30? Do you use the clean or drive channel? Boost or no boost? Thanks for all your dedication and helpfulness you give to us all!
Usually the clean channel with no boost and the EQs fairly neutral. Perhaps a bit of treble roll off.
Hi Bjorn!
Great selection of amps, I was curious about your thoughts about the Fender Mustang amps for really tight budgets, I wouldn’t probably take them to stage even the bigger ones but I use my for home recordings and I’m always surprised how well they sound. Here is couple of my covers if you’d like to take a look:
Overdrive’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrlXubYjDGA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiXtAbea_88
Clean’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSgwSnMDobs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blT08nSVffE
Mild Overdrive’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-LjBAqeHfI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qXfJOfDWq8
I have never played those so I can’t really tell but if you’re considering the bigger ones, I would recommend looking into the Laney Cub series. About the same price and you get a classic tube amp with great tones.
Hi Bjorn
Been reading your site for a while now and find it very informative and entertaining. I have been a massive Floyd/Gilmour fan since I was a teenager in the 80’s – so good that there is still so much interest.
Just a quick question regarding amp choice. I am soon going to go back out to do some live gigs after quite a few years, and I need to get a decent amp which can compete with a very enthusiastic drummer as well as bass, keys etc. without being able to mic up to a PA, so I am going to need something fairly high powered. I currently play through a Blues Junior.
I prefer to use fuzz pedals and muffs for dirt, so I will need a fair amount of headroom and I have a budget of around £1500 UK.
I’m thinking Fender Bassman combo or Laney L50H head with a suitable 212 cab. What do you think? Or any other suggestions?
Thanks,
Alan
Thanks for the kind words, Alan! Being a huge fan of the Lionheart amps, I will recommend that one. The Bassman is obviously a great choice but I like the versatility you get from the Lionhearts. Great classic tones and they can handle almost any pedal you throw at them.
First of all thank you Bjorn for all the hard work you’ve put into this site. It has definitely made my life easier in finding the Gilmour sound. My question is: I’m getting ready to purchase a fender blues deluxe reissue amp which is similar to the hot rod except it’s more intended for a clean tone. Would you recommend this amp? (I have a Vick audio overdriver on its way to add to my signal chain) and would it be suitable for a concert/amphitheater type venue? Also, how would you recommend micing the amp?
Hi! Sorry for my late reply. I’m sure you’ve already decided but the Blues Deluxe is very loud and I wouldn’t recommend it for a typical bedroom setup. It works nicely for rehearsal and clubs. It has more compression and mid range than other Fenders, including the Twin but you might fin that mids scooped uncompressed pedals like the Overdriver, Fuzz Face and Big Muff sounds bright and harsh. Better to use more versatile pedals with more mid range and compression. Check out this feature for more tips.
No worries Bjorn, I appreciate you taking the time to respond. So, I got the Blues deluxe but I it seems to de defective , I bought it used so I will most likely return it and will be in the market for another amp. My questions to you would be, which amp would you recommend for my current set up? Currently I own the Vick audio overdriver and the ’73 Rams head among the other essential Floyd pedals and of course a Strat with SSL-5’s . We plan on performing both small clubs and amphitheater style venues. What I would like is an amp suitable for both and would mic the amp through the PA for larger venues. We’re going to be playing Pink Floyd mostly. I’m looking at the Laney 50h but don’t know if it would be too much for smaller clubs. Please advise, and thanks in advance!
I can’t really praise the Lionheart L20 enough. I have the head with the 2×12″ cab and it such an incredibly versatile amp. It can handle just about any pedal your throw at it and it sounds awesome with the guitar plugged straight into it as well. The L20 is loud and I have no problems using it on bigger venues with a couple of thousand seats. It’s obviously mic’ed with a monitor in front but that wouldn’t be needed at smaller clubs with 2-300 seats.
Hey Björn! Great article! Between the Marshall1962 Bluesbreaker Combo and Laney Lionheart LT20 212 : Which one do you think is better in terms of versatility,pedal friendliness and achieving Gilmour’s tone?
The Laney for sure. I use it all the time for all of my Gilmour stuff (and my own stuff too) and it’s such a verstaile amp. The Bluesbreaker is great too but it doesn’t have the same headroom and it can sound a bit too aggressive with some pedals, like a Muff.
Hi, I’m currently looking at getting a new amp. Atm I am using a fender Princeton 68 but it doesn’t sound right for my pedals. I have boonar delay, moon-vibe, buffalo fx power boost, bd2 keeley, cali76, buffalo fx patriot, fuzztone 70s. I’ve been thinking of the laney cub 15w head and cab or the hiwatt t20 head and cab. would either of these make a good floyd sounding setup or is there a better option around that price/watt range? Thanks..and great site Bjorn
Kane
The Hiwatt would probably be your best choice between the two but I also recommend checking out the Laney Lionheart series. Very versatile amps and they can handle pretty much any pedal you place in front of it.
Hi Bjorn Thanks for the reply,
I did look briefly at the lionheart l20 after watching your boonar demo. I’m pretty sure with the hiwatt t20 you can switch the watts from 18-10. On your laney l20 is it just 20watt or is there another input or switch to drop the watts. I’m just playing in my bedroom but i play quite loud so i think the lionheart l5 might be a bit to low for me.
Nice you swapped the comment section around I noticed with the new stuff now being atop the list :)
Just a small correction: I recently checked out info on the Hiwatt T20 combo and I will likely get on of these in a few months. So hard to come by though here in Germany…
Anyway the output is actually 18 and 10W instead of 20 and 10, Bjorn ;)
Doesn’t make a huge difference though I guess…
Thanks for the info!
Hi Bjorn, Im a newbie who has built his own stratocaster with 2x CS69 and SSL-5 pickups.
I’ve been playing it now for 6 months and time to get an AMP!
Would the Laney Cub 12R be the most suitable Amp for bedroom/at home playing that you would recommend? The Cub12 can be had here for £220 which seems really reasonable. Is the 12R just added Reverb feature?
My goal is to be able to play the solos for “Sorrow / Brick in Wall 2 / What do you want / Comfortably Numb / Have a Cigar”. I also really like the sounds Prince got from his solos.
Thank you for the reply, John.
Hi John, the Cub is a great start I think. They sound great at low bedroom volume and they can handle pretty much any pedal you place in front.
yeah yesterday I tried the 12R with the Boss Blues Driver and that sounded awesome! Did not test it with a Muff though, as the store only has the EHX reissues and I’m not a fan of those.
I think it would work nicely with my VA Ram’s Head though, wouldn’t it, Bjorn?
I mentioned earlier that I’m looking into getting a Hiwatt, but it’s too much of a hassle, so I tried the Laney 12R combo, enjoyed the sound and will likely get on of those soon :)
Also hope the release of your album today goes well, Bjorn! I will definitely check it out!
The Vick Muff goes very well with the Cub. Cheers!
How can I contribute to the backing track site? I’ve done a “There’s No Way Out of Here” track that I would like to share ;)
Please send it to me at post@gilmourish.com.
Hello Bjorn!
I was wondering if you already watched this video on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdNB4YbSkyA
I didn’t know anything about Morgan Amplification before watching it. I’m really curious about this amp (RCA35R) because, on the manufacturer website, they say it is kind of a Fender Blackface amp, but it has, at least to my ears, much more mids than a classic Fender amp, and kind of a natural compression when cranking the mids. Moreover, it sounds really close to DG classic Hiwatt tones IMHO.
What are your thoughts on it? Maybe the Youtube player and my ears are just playing a trick on me, but I’m really intrigued! :)
And by the way, I listened the teaser videos from your new solo album and it was really great! I can clearly identify your Gilmour inspiration, and if I wasn’t aware of the video title I could have think this was a new record from DG himself! ;)
Cheers!
Alexis
Thanks for your kind words, Alexis! The reminds me very much of the Laney Lionheart amps, which has the ability to cover a lot of tones. Set clean they are both somewhere between a Fender and Vox. It’s got the chime and headroom but enough mid range and compression to cut through. The gain channel has more mid range and compression, although a pretty open sounding tone. The gain is moderate and similar to the Fender Bassman and early Marshall JTM/Plexi.
I have got a Little D, with the optically WEM 1×12 ‘marketing’cab( loaded withFane AXA) The story of the purchasing was a very negative experince regarding Hiwatt services and customer support…I have found some dead pots too, they built in the cheapest Chinese pots of the Globe.. in 0,5 W mode, the headroom was limited, but it is still too loud( as a CUB head on full)Changing the tubes( JJ certainly) improved the tone. 20w mode is awesome, indeed, I love it. Till today I did not make a comparison to my Hiwatt Custom 50 SSD combo, which is my main amp.
I shall do it at once, keep you informed, community of Gilmourish!
Generally I do agree Björn in this issue, this is clearly Hiwatt marketing activity, using our emotions for extra business. And we buy it:-)
On the otherside the amp is not bad.
Check some latest short videos of Illy Project, on its Facebook site, I use the Little D and a Two-Rock Coral combo( what a fantastic 6L6 ‘Dumblesque’ amp)
Kind regards : Gábor
Do you have a copy of those schematics. If money was not a concern would you recommend JJ tubes?
Hey Bjorn!
I just recently picked up a Marshall 4×12 Cab and was wondering what head would be best for it?? I’ve been looking into both Hiwatt and Reeves.. so which would be the best for tone purposes? (The cab is a model: AVT412XA with four celestion lead speakers.)
Thanks!
-Skyler
What sort of tones are you looking for? Hiwatt and Reeves custom range is basically the same amp…
I’m just trying to get a classic clean and warm Gilmour tone. I was just wondering what you would recommend..
The Reeves Custom is based on the original late 60s/early 70s Hiwatt specs so they’re basically the same amp. Paired with a Stratocaster with vintage style passive low output single coils will give you the platform you need for most of your tones. Mind that these amps are extremely loud and probably not waht you want for a typical bedroom setup. If you want something smaller there are lots of different amps to choose from. Personally I prefer amps with emphasis on the mid range, with a bit of compresison but Fenders like the Blues Jr or Princeton are also great for the tones you want.
Hello Bjorn,
I play strat with vintage specs (1956 custom shop). Play mostly blues and rock, 95% of time at home. I use Classic 30 (not tweed version) but I am not very happy with its quality of manufacture and have some problems with resonance noise from the tube area when you play some bassy notes.
So, I am thinking about changing it to some other amp. What would you recommend as a replacement for Classic 30? Maybe Blues Jr will be better choice or any other options?
My pedalboard consist of Crybaby 535q, Boss DS-1 Ultra Keeley mod, OCD, Flashback delay if it matters.
Thank you in advance,
Aliaksei
Hi! The Blues Jr is a great sounding amp so you can’t really go wrong there. You might also want to check out the new Bassbreaker from Fender. I also highly recommend checking out the Laney Lionheart amps. Very versatile and great for blues, jazz and classic rock and they also handle pedals very well.
Hey Bjorn.
What do you think of the Bugera infinium series? Is the G5 any good?
I did have my eyes out for the Laney Cub 12 stack, but I read so many bad reviews about it, so now I’m looking in the Bugera direction.
If it’s any good, what kind of cab would you recommend for it?
Love your work on this site, really really useful and a good read!
Cheers
Martin
I haven’t tried the G5 so I can’t really tell. Based on the reviews I’ve seen and read it seems OK and it can provide a wide range of tones, typical of both Fender and Marshall. All I can say about the Cub is that it’s great value for the buck and the tone is great. Not the best build and perhaps nothing I would tour with but for home and studio use, it’s well worth checking out. Handles most pedals very well.
Hey Bjorn!
Hope things are well in Norway!
Quick question! After all the years of listening to your playing, as well as wanting a second amp for wet-dry/stereo type of stuff, I finally broke down and ordered a Laney Cub (12r, not the stack though). I expect I’ll enjoy it and I may not replace the speaker, but as I’ve always loved that old school Hiwatt tone David gets, I may replace the stock speaker with a Weber Thames. Is there any reason you chose the ceramic over the alnico?
J
Hi Jason, check out the Weber site for a detailed explaination. Keep in mind though that the Weber Thames are very bright and has a lot of headroom so you might find them a bit bright and flat sounding if you’re not used to that sort of speakers. Celestion V30 or G12H might be more appealing and certainly easier for your pedals.
There’s some good stuff on his site!! I’ve always been a bit heavy on the treble on my amps, so I’d say it’s fair that I like brighter amps. My first (and as of now, main) amp is a Peavey Delta Blues, but I always have the treble reasonably high. Do you still have the ceramic Thames in your Cub cab, or have you since swapped it out for something different? I ask because I do love the way it sounds from your videos, and just curious on a basic comparison kind of way :-)
Cheers!
J
I have a pair of Celestion V30s in the cab now. In both my cabs actually, stage and studio. I still have the huge Sound City cab with the Webers but I rarely use it. The Webers are very bright and has a huge headroom. They sound really nice but I don’t recommend them unless you really know what you’re about to buy. Coming from your typical Celestions to these can be a bit of a shock.
So i got 1000 euros to spend on a solid amp (prefer a head) to nail the Gilmour sound. Above i cant make up my mind what to choose.
Solid amp? You mean you want a transistor amp? Please clearify… :)
Solid as a good, great tube amp.
Check out the Laney Lionheart series.
I think, I found the solution to home practice amp… Yamaha THR5! Nice tones, effects, easy to record via USB, compact. Quite a bargain!
Just a guitar jam, based on Shine On You Crazy Diamond, hope you enjoy it!
https://youtu.be/VDIjl2VCjsE
Nice! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Bjorn
I have the chance to pick a laney 12 cub stack and a UK made laney VC15 combo with a 10 inches speaker for same price which one is better for gilmour tone ? l already have most essential pedals but my Marshall tsl 602 is very loud and I can not cranck it up at home and some of my pedals are not working properly in tsl fx loop so I’m going to get rid of it thanks.
I would go for the Cub :)
Hi Bjorn,
A bit off topic, but did Gilmour use overdrive from the amp or did he solely rely on his pedals for that? Any idea what his tone settings were on his Hiwatts?
Thanks!
He always set his amps clean on the edge of breakup and use pedals for dirt. Check out this feature for some amp setup tips and details on David’s amps.
Bjorn,
I really appreciate the thoroughness of your reviews and articles. Very enlightening. Billmaudio.com has an extensive list of mods for the Blues Jr. III, and I was wondering if you performed any mods on yours other than the speaker?
Cheers,
Eric
Thank you, Eric! I sold mine years ago but I know the previous owner did some stuff, including pushing the mids a little but I don’t have any details.
Hi Bjorn,
The pre-tube preference and questions about power tubes: Ruby vs. JJ vs. … has been brought up multiple times in this page, so I don’t want to make a redundant post here, although I thought I highlight my particular experience. It may help users have more info. My Reeves Custom 50 sounded harsh and too in the face in the high-mids when using overdrive, and high-mid frequency spike with the treble of Vick Audio Overdriver. The previous owner put Electroharmonix 6CA7 power tubes in there. Listening to the comparisons in the web, I knew EH6CA7 is very open sounding because of that extended highs (compared to JJ) but the payoff was harsh high-mids. I was trying to see if I can tame the high-mid so I bought JJ 6CA7 and replaced them. Before doing that I recorded a piece in my looper downstream of the Butler Tube driver which is pretty much the last gain pedal in my chain, and positioned two mics one SM57 in front of my early 80s 50w Fane and one in front of Eminence Tonker. I positioned them to have maximum clarity, punch, body, etc. for critical listening. With all things the same JJ 6CA7 gave a spike around 1 kHz that I didn’t have before from EH, but also I lost some of that openness (extended high frequencies) that Fane gives me. The tubes were making intermittent pop sound so I needed to return them to seller. It reminded me of the replies in the forums from people who recently experience quality control issues with JJ tubes. Bill at Reeves suggested Ruby EL34BHT that handles high plate voltage so I decided to give them a go. I used the same method to compare the tone of EH 6CA7 and Ruby EL34BHT. I found my extended highs are still present but sounds richer and easier to listen. My mid range improved quite a bit. It wasn’t the spike I got from JJ 6CA7, rather the whole body of the tone was more present compared to EH 6CA7, almost like you widen the Q of an EQ and it helps bringing up the whole range of midrange. It also sounded solid and pleasing. The lows are much tighter. That’s the area I never had a tight low before. I don’t know if it is Reeves Custom 50 or speakers (I have 2xFane & 2xTonker in X pattern in a closed back high quality cabinet) but the power tubes make a big difference in the tightness of the lows which I believe contributes to make the low-mid expression also come out nicer. Also that was the only time I could actually allow myself to increase the presence and treble further to add to the expression of highs and high-mids without feeling overwhelmed, and although the frequencies are all there and sounds open but it sounds pleasing and easy to listen to. I must say my pre-amp tubes are a bit different. I use medium gain long tube NOS Mullard E180CC in my first position, NOS Mullard NOS 5751 (slightly less gain that 12AX7) in V2, and NOS Mullard ECC83 (full gain 12AX7) in 3rd gain stage. The phase inventor is left with what Reeves put in it (NOS RCA 12AT7). I found low gain in V1 brought a lot of string picks even in the overdrive tone, rather than high gain 12AX7 created two much saturation and masked out some of those details. I know you pointed out that master volume (3rd gain stage in the pre-amp) is sensitive to create breakup or sounds harsh if dialled above 9 or 10, but with using lower gain tubes in V1 and V2 it has more headroom for the 3rd gain stage so I can dial it much higher if I want to, and it has a smoother transition to louder sound. The other good thing about having a thicker wider mid-range tone and tight lows with Ruby EL34BHT is that I can bring the master volume lower without making it sound thin. This is definitely a benefit for basement musicians.
Cheers,
Arya
I’m so curious about the fender bassbreaker series… Bjorn? Anyone?
Very similar to the Blues Jr with a few more modern features. Great sounding amp.
Hi Bjorn,
As well as your great demo’s, I came across this one of the Laney 5W, thought it might be of interest to you and your readers. Feel free to delete this email if you feel it is out of place..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e_4NVoZp1U
Awesome tones!
hi bjorn
ive played a fender cyber deluxe for years , and with quality pedals i’ve gotten great tones from it. would this amp be considered tube or transistor? how do you think an effectrode fire bottle would react with it? i mainly just use the 65 deluxe setting with a few exceptions ; figuring with a clean, sweet tone i am free to shape the tone with the pedals. thanks for your websight; it is a godsend and been very enjoyable to a hopeless gearhead!
Hi James, the Cyber Deluxe is a sold state/transistor amp. I haven’t tried the Fire Bottle with a solid state but it is designed to be used with passive pickups and tube amps so I doubt you will get its full potential. It will work as a volume booster and you will get some colouring, depending on what hi-end cut you choose but I don’t think it will interact with the amp in the same way as with a tube amp. You’re probably better off with a TC Spark Boost or Boss BD2.
What are your thoughts about the Laney L20 4×10 combo? Thanks
Very similar to the L20 stack. The 4×10 has a tad less low end and perhaps not as much headroom but how that eventually sounds depends on how you’ll be using it. The Lionhearts are awesome amps!
Dear Bjorn: I posted this on al older blog entry so I’m reposting it here, I hope you don’t mind :)
I wanted to ask you for your advice on amp eq/settings/gain/etc ect for my Lionheart L20 set-up:
I’m playing an L20 head (all NOS tubes) through a 212 cabinet loaded with 2 x 1980’s Fane Classic 12/50’s.
My guitar is a Black “Frankenfloyd” I’ve built with a nitro Eric Johnson body, a 1992 AVRI maple neck and CS69/CS69 and SSL-5/ KGC brass Megamass trem block.
My pedalboard is essentially:
PureTone Buffer #1
CS-2
DB Vibe machine
MH Iron Bell (also alternate with a Vick Audio ’73)
Chandler + BK 80’s Tube Driver (12Au7)
Xotic EP booster
Throbak Overdrive Boost
GE-7 eq
90’s Electric Mistress (missing the dot on the “i” version)
PureTone Buffer #2
TC Repeater delay —>Ernie Ball Volume pedal—-> output to the Lionheart L20 head
What amp settings would you use/suggest as a baseline? I will be practicing with a full 5 piece band next week so it will be at normal rehearsal-room volume…..also any pedal re-order suggestions?
Hi! I usually have my L20 set up like this: gain channel, bright, drive 1.5 (edge of breakup), volume 7-8, bass 6, middle full, treble 3, tone off (you might want to have this a hair below 1 to open up the top end a tad. Keep in mind that these settings are fairly dark but they fit my guitars, pedals and tone preference. You might want to tweak the amp to match your setup and speakers.
Hey Björn!
I got my hands on a Hiwatt T20 HD.
Now I’m not sure which Cab I should get.
I live in Germany and it’s really hard to find Hiwatt products here, I got lucky with the T20, it was on ebay. So it is veeery unlikely to find a Hiwatt cab here, I have already been searching the internet for a while.
Not being able to buy a Hiwatt cab, which cabs can you recommend? I’m looking for a sound that gets close to what Gilmour sounded like between 1971 and 1975 (but mostly DSotM and WYWH).
And I probably want a 2×12 cab.
If you can not or don’t want to recommend a certain cab, maybe you can name a speaker and some specs that might be important? (like how much power it can take, impedance etc. I really don’t know much about it)
The Hiwatt and WEM cabs David used are very large and much bigger than your typical Marshall 4×12″. Still, for a 2×12″ you could pretty much go for anything. I prefer closed back cab for tightening up the low end and getting a bit more punch. David used Fane Crescendo speakers and there are lots of great sounding clones out there. I’m using Weber Thames in my cab. I’ve also found the Celestion g12Hs to fit nicely.
Thanks for your answer!
After some more research I found something that really caught my eye:
http://www.reevesamps.com/cabinets/guitar-cabinets/
I think I’m gonna get one of those, it seems that the speakers they produce come very close to the classic Fane speakers.
I have also read of a company called Hi-Tone, who also focus on building Hiwatt and Fane replicas. I didn’t find a offer for those in Germany but for the Reeves I did, so I think I’m gonna get it.
What are your thoughts about that?
Seems like a good match. My experience with Reeves has been nothing but positive. I haven’t tried any of the Hi-Tone stuff but I know they make some really great and fateful stuff.
Outstanding information Bjorn. Must say, I am big fan and value your input greatly. Since you have a great deal of experience with Reeves, I wanted to get your input regarding their current lower output amps. Of the 10HG, Custom 12 and Custom 18, which would you recommend for bedroom as well as band situations (will mic during rehearsal and shows). My primary objective is to stay somewhere near the Gilmour tone. Primarily using custom shop strats, pedals for boost, od, distortion and Axe Ultra for effects. Thank You for your valuable input.
HI Roger, thanks for your kind words :) All three of those amps are based on the early Marhsall Plexi and Super Lead designs. The higher wattage models does have some headroom but they should not be confused with Hiwatts. I love those early Marshall tones though and although some pedals, like Muff and fuzz, tend to sound a bit more aggressive with those amps, you can easily dial in some great versatile tones that’ll also get into DG territory.
Try a Fender Deluxe or an Orange Dual Terrior. If you pair any of these with the Tech 21 Leads pedal you are there.
Bjorn: My neighbor Bob Bradshaw (yes, that one :) ) just gave me a LAB L5 ss amp chassis, fully working minus the reverb tank. I plugged it into my 212 Fane speaker cab clean, no effects. Sounded incredible, I would say as warm and clean as my L20H. I was blown away never thinking I would care for a solid state amp again. Any thoughts on the LAB L5/?
Wow, that’s awesome! I don’t have any experience with it so I can’t really tell.
Hello Bjorn! Have you seen the new about the new EHX Mig 50 head? Supposed to be a reissue of the old Sovtek Mig 50, but with better components and built in the USA. The old Sovtek 50’s were built like a tweed bassman, but with higher voltage. Somewhat similar to early plexi’s but solid state rectified. They are listed at $575 which is incredible pricing for a US built 50 watt head. I plan to pick one up soon so I will update when I get a chance to try one, but if’s it’s as pedal friendly as the old Sovtek’s it should make a phenomenal Gilmourish amp for very little cost.
Hi haven’t seen much about it. I know the old amps were very poorly made but please keep us posted on this one :)
Hello Björn
Thank you so much for all your precious advice …
I have today a Fender Hot Rod deluxe 40W, very good amp, but too loud for me (I play only in my room) the sound is too crystal to my taste (even changing tube / decreasing the treble) and I’m not sure It works best with my pedals (Effectrode pc2A compressor / Tube driver / BYOC Large beaver / Elec lady / TC electronic flashback).
Hence my question (Resolution 2017 ;-) : I would like to change it by a less powerful amp and approaching the sound of gilmour tuning with my pedals: I was thinking about the Hiwatt T20? What do you think ? An other idea ?
Thank you for your reply, thank you for all your articles, and happy new year !
Hi! The Hiwatt is quite loud as well and it can sound a bit bright on lower volume, as you won’t be able to drive it properly. My best tip, for the tones you describe, would be a Lionheart L5 Studio. It’s the ideal bedroom amp, with power scaling and lots of mid range and compression, which will ensure a warm and big sound even at the lowest volume levels. It can also take pedals very well.
Thanks Bjorn.
Wich cab should I use with ?-> small one (Lionheart too big combo too / and price 200€)
As i told you, I play in bedroom with small space :-S
Any 12″ speaker cab would do. You can either buy an empty one and install a speaker yourself or get one with a Celestion V30 or a G12H.
Hello bjorn
Thank you for this valuable advice. I saw the Harley Benton G112 with the CV30 12 ” at a very good price, and the correct size. But the laney cub 12R (1w / 15w) Is it not the best solution ?? (price twice as cheap as laney studio + cab) and small size …
That’s certainly an option :) Great sounding amp.
I finally bought the laney cub head 15W with a Harley Benton Ceslestion Vintage 30. It sounds pretty good, although I find the Hot Rod clean better.
Anyway I lost his strident Fender’s song (Especially with bridge position), and I can play calmly at home … (This from my wife) :-)
The amp sounds well with pedals and guitar (hot Rod deluxe)> Effectrode PC2A, Tube Driver, Elec lady. BUT but … my BYOC large beaver that sounded so good on the Hot Rod is totally metamorphosed. A muffled sound, as if the tone was at 0, especially when I use the TDriver.
Bjorn helps me, because I really like this pedal! I found video with the same materials as me, and it sound different…
The BYOC should go very well with the Cub. What amp settings do you use?
Hi Bjorn,
I currently have a laney cub12 and am thinking about upgrading to a lionheart. Reading the posts I often read that people say the L5 has a lot less headroom than the L20. I only play at home, at reasonable volumes (ie my ears don’t bleed after playing).
Is the only benefit of the extra headroom that you can play at louder volumes without experiencing distortion or are there other benefits? The salesman in the shop told me the L20 will sound better than the L5 even at the same lower volume -not sure if its true – they don’t sell the L5?
Could you also please give your advice on where to invest. I currently have…
Laney Cub12
no frills MIM strat HSS, factory pickups
a bunch of noce pedals (patriot, evolution, P19, flashback etc)
Do I..
1. Get a set of D allen echoes for existing strat
2. Upgrade to a lionheart L5 or L20
3. Upgrade Strat to an American Std
Thanks
Norman
Hi, I think your biggest improvement would be a new amp. The Cub is great but changing pickups will only provide a subtle change. I do recommend swapping pickups perhaps later on but an amp will no doubt be a bigger change. The L20 does have more headroom, which is important for pedals. You don’t want too much breakup when you’re basing your tones on pedals. The L5 does have more than enough headroom for bedroom playing but I think an L20 is a better invesntment if you can afford the extra. It’s 20w though and it is loud. Still, it plays very well on lower volume and you will notice that it will sound bigger and warmer, even on the lower volumes, compared to the L5.
Hi Bjorn!!
I hesitate on the choice of two tube heads to play in an apartment: the H&K Tubemeister 18W and the Laney Lionheart L5 Studio.
I looked at some tests of the L5 and found that this one was perhaps too dark and too bluesy, did you have this impression? So I searched for another head, and I was really amazed by the sound of your jam sessions with the TM18…
Both are pretty much the same price and I know they are really different.
The L5 has a headphones output and I think we can also listen the TM18 with headphones with the XLR output (perhaps you don’t use it)???
Regarding the cab, the Laney lt112 features G12H 30W and the TM112 features Celestion V30!
Which is the best and are they interchangeable according to the choice of the head? If you know an other cab (a better option) for a gilmourish bedroom setup, i’m open mind!! ;-)
Sorry, I know I ask many questions!!!
Happy holidays year-end, I look forward to discovering your new album!!
Cheers!!
Hi Nico! For bedroom playing, home recording, pedals and Gilmour sounds I would go for the Lionheart. No doubt. I can be a bit dark but you have some many tweakable parameters and I’m assuming you will use pedals as well. The TM is much more modern sounding and I got one because I wasn’t primarily looking for a vintage Gilmour tone but something versatile and easy to record. Keep in mind that I do mostly record non-Gilmour stuff. Again, for the things you describe, I would go for the Lionheart.
About the Monoprice 15 watt amp Alexis asked about in January- I recently got one. The internals are nearly identical to the Cub 12, except with a tiny real spring reverb rather than the Cub’s digital reverb, and a real Celestion Seventy/80 speaker rather than the generic one in the Cub.
My really nice low budget Gilmorish set-up: SX strat into a Behringer CS400 compressor then on to the 1 watt input, with a Zoom MS70 CDR in the effect loop for chorus, delay and reverb, (the built-in spring reverb is pretty awful when the level is set above 2 or 3, I plan on putting a full-size reverb tank in it soon for more usable range).
Regularly on sale for $200, I got mine on Cyber Monday for $150.
How is that for bang-for-the-buck!?
Hey Bjorn,
I have a Laney l5t combo and a Cub12r. I sometimes use the Lionheart with RecycleSound 10db attenuator for crancking the clean channel for a kind of Peter Green tone.I tried a Princeton reverb 65 ri at a store, and a Marshall Slash 5w combo and also considering a Vox Ac4 hw1.Would any of these add much to my tonal palette or should I stick to upgrading the Cub speaker that I play with the Lionheart speaker connected (Celestion g12h 70th anniverssary) Would a Celestion G12m Heritage 20watts be good for either Laneys? I liked the Fender but found it only did the Fender sound,so I would only be having it for the thrill of owning and playing a 51 year old design.
The Cub are kind of a mix between a Vox and Marshall and you already have the Lionheart as well. Whether or not you need anything else, or what, depends on what tones you want. The Cub sounds great with the g12h as well.
Hi again!
I finally bought a LionHeart L20t-112…
LOVE IT!
Clean Channel is bright as a fender, drive Channel is perfect for my Vick Audio Ram’s head!
Thank you Bjørn for this awesome website!
Question about muff and buffer: Buffer is supposed to be First in chain. If I only have a Compressor (ironfist) between it and the muff, is it enough? You mentionned That buffer shouldn’t be close to fuzz/muff…
Muffs aren’t that sensitive to buffers so it shouldn’t matter. Fuzzes are.
Hi Bjorn,
what do you think about the Hiwatt Little D rig?
Thanks for your answer
Roberto
I have commented on that earlier. Do a quick search on the site :)
Hey Bjorn, do you think a Fuzz Face (silicon) would sound ok through an AC15c1? Or what about a Big Muff? I’d imagine it might be a bit too bright. Cheers!
I’d go for pedals with more mid range and compression.
Hey Bjorn,
When touring away from home what is your preferred list of Gilmourish amps that are widely available for backline rental? Which work best with your standard pedal board?
Thanks for the amazing site!
To be honest, as long as I know what I’m getting, I can work with pretty much anything and I always keep spare gain pedals suitable for differently voiced amps. I’ve been using Mesa Rectifiers a lot because I know them very well and although very different from what I usuall use, you can always count on them sounding great and they’re popular backline amps. I usually ask for Hiwatt Customs but not all places keep those.
Hi Bjorn! and all the guys here!
I have a Laney Cub12r. I found it very lowfi sound sometimes. I think I need a more professional/ boutique sound for all my pedals. I’m also looking for easy recording solution, Fx loop and headphones output for late night.
Do you think that the new Laney Lionheart L5 Head (made in china) is the way to go?
Hughes and Kettner tubemaister 18?
something else?
I think that the tubemaister doesnt have headphones output, is better looking but the sound and quality construction is more important to me.
Wich one is best sounding?
Wich one is best build?
About pedal. Wich one is best for pedals? I have a:
-Bk Butler Tube Driver 5 Knob
-EHX Big Muff Deluxe
-Boss Blues Driver BD-2 Keeley Mod
-Boss Chorus Ensemble CE
-Boss Compressor Sustainer CS-2
-Mxr Phase 90 Vintage ’74 – Script
-Proco Rat 2
-TC Electronic Flashback
-Boss EQ G-7
I read ALL the comments here, but I wish to to read your answer =)
thank you so much for your time Bjorn. You are unique.
The Cub is a nice amp but it’s a fiarly low priced starter/bedroom type of amp. The Lionhearts are the obvious step up and they’re very well built and they sound awesome. The Tubemeister is no doubt the most modern sounding but for David’s tones, I’d go for the Lionheart.
Hi Bjorn,
I don’t know what people means when said that the Lionheart is a true vintage sound. And the tubemeister has more moderns sound. What that means?
Before I buy the Laney Lionheart I was wondering… Can the Lionheart sound like this? or similar? This is the sound are I’m looking for too (and Gilmour’s of course):
Guitar n°1
https://goo.gl/hOIfEv
https://goo.gl/DciktV
Guitar n°2
https://goo.gl/eJyRDa
https://goo.gl/VJbbeJ
Guitar n°3
https://goo.gl/DtAsRA
can tubemeister do it better for this sounds? or Lionheart?
I just sold my Cub 12 and I want to be completely sure that can be versatile enough before I buy the next amp.
I just don’t have word to thanks you Bjorn, you´re me guide!!! =)
Hi! It’s always hard to describe a tone but by vintage I think of the older tube amps, like Marshall and Vox from the 60s and 70s. They have a distinct tone and much of that tone comes from the combination of their circuit and the guitars and effects that were used with them. The Lionheart has much of that flavour and the drive channel has a moderate gain and works best for classic rock and blues. The TubeMeister has a brighter tone, more pristine and the gain is more aggresive and better suited for modern rock and metall.
Thank you. Yeah i tried tgst site. Color comes closr but wrong pattern. I believe the Lionheart blue tolex is propriatary…. .
First off I would like to express my gratitude to you Bjorn, for taking the time to read and reply (in great consideration and detail) to all of these posts, it’s something you don’t have to do as you are a very busy musician, but you do it anyway, and for that I cannot express my thanks and appreciation enough.
Moving forward…I just bought Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III to use in studio. For Gilmour tones would you recommend any upgrades to the amp/speaker/etc? (it’s got a stock Celestion G12P-80) (I mostly intend to use the amp’s clean channel with pedals)
Thanks! Glad you enjoy the site :)
Any upgrades comes down to taste and preference I guess. The amp is a nice platform for David’s tones, so I’d experiment with different settings and hear how that goes with your guitar and pickups. Pedalwise, I’d go for overdrives and distortions that has a bit of mid range and compression, like a Fulltone OCD for overdrive and something like a RAT for distortion. They will compensate for the often bright and uncompressed Fender sound. Read more about that here.
Hey Bjorn!
Would you (or anyone reading this) happen to know where I could find blue tolex as used on Laney Lionheart amps? I want to have a custom cabinet made for my L20 H but in searching online I can’t find a single vendor offering the exact match to that blue tolex + weave pattern used on the Lionheart series. Any leads on that?
Great site as always!
best
gerry in LA
Check out Amplifiedparts.com. Maybe they have something.
Hi All
Has any one tried the Roland Blues cube hot? I’ve heard good things
I play at home for my own pleasure only and own 3 tube amps: A Fender Pro Jr., a Fender Silverface Champ, and a Champion 600. I love the Silverface Champ and the 600. The Pro jr is going to take a trip down the road. It’s too loud for home use unless you want to go deaf and PO the family. It sounds too sterile and lifeless to me.
Edit: Many players make the mistake of buying too big of amp for home use.
I’m playing a Champ 600 with an NOS RCA blackplate 6v6 out through a 2×10 cabinet loaded with an Eminence Copperhead + Weber 10f150-p, both ceramics, mixing brit and american “types”. Sound is unbelievable!! Loud but not stage-loud, almost too much for bedroom level but just “there” and the tonal range is fantastic. I’m having that Champ 600 chasis transplanted into a custom-made combo 1×12 cabinet now that will double up as an external cab for my 63 blonde bandmaster. The Champ’s 5 watts sound HUGE through 2×10 or a 12. Just have to be sure that the drivers have a tight low end.
Help!
I want to buy a tube amp and I want to Know what is the best: the clean sound of a Fender Hot rod deluxe 3/ blues jr 3
That cannot handle Big muff…
Or
A Marshall amp (Wich one?) that allowed big muff/but not as clean as the Fender…
Thanks
(Sorry for the poor english)
And if Fender win, what’s the best muff-like pedal I can get? Or does a vick audio 73 Rams head a good option for one of the two previous fender?
I’d strongly advise against a Fender and Vick 73 combination. I had them (a Fender Blues Jr. ) and ended up selling both, it was sooo fizzy! I bought a Lionheart 5W combo and use a Pig Hoof MKII and a buffalo FX Patriot, and BOY what a fabulous combination, I’m finally nailing the elusive Gilmour tone in the bedroom!
As you point out, Fender amps tend to make Muffs sound bright and sometimes harsh. Marshalls on the other hand, can make Muffs sound too saturated and compressed. For Fender amps I recommend pedals like the Fulltone OCD and among the Marshall amps, the DSL series are nice. If you can afford one, check out the Silver Jubilee series as well. My hottest tip though, is the Laney Cub or Lionheart series. Really nice amps that will give you the tones you want.
Thank you for the advice, I’ll go with the laney cub or the lionheart
Awesome website Bjørn!
Thank you from Québec, Canada!
Hi Bjorn, I bought Laney Cub 12r and SM57 for recording.
Which mic stand do you recommend?
Does the quality matter?
Which one do you use?
Best wishes,
Armin
Mic stand? As long as it does’t fall over… :)
Hi Bjorn, I am planning to buy a tube amp for bedroom practice at low volume without disturbing family and neighbours. I am looking for Gilmour tone and somewhat versatile amp sounding close to Hiwatt with lots of headroom. Most of the shops are selling transistor amp here, so i have to buy tube amp online which means I cannot try myself, cannot hear their sound. I was focusing on following amps:
1) Laney cub 10 combo, 2) Laney cub 12R combo , 3) Bugera V5 combo , 4) Blackstar HT-1R combo 5) Vox AC4C1-12 combo 6) Laney LC15 combo
Which one will you recommend? I am not sure between cub 10 and cub12r which one has more headroom and which has best clean sound for Gilmourish tone? What kind of overdrive (Boss BD-2) and distortion (Proco RAT 2) will go good with Cub12R ? Like dark or bright, mid scooped or mid prominent for Gilmour tone? Please see this two links:
1) combo https://www.bajaao.com/products/laney-cub-12r-class-a-b-15w-all-tube-combo-amplifier
2) head https://www.bajaao.com/products/laney-cub-head-guitar-amplifier-head-15-watts.
Do you think the head is same as corresponding to combo circuitry/sound wise or it is different head? Is a combo is better option or head + some 1×12 cab will be good option? Thank you so much for your patience and answering my question.
Hi Ratan. Sorry for my late reply. For David’s tones and the pedals you have, I’d go for an amp with emphasis on the mid range and compression. You want headroom but not too much or the gain pedals will sound too fizzy. The Laney Cubs are right in between a classic Marshall, Vox and Hiwatt. Great tones and I’d go for the 12W for the most headroom. I’d also look into the Laney Lionheart Series. They have a new 5w out now, which is great for the tones you describe. Check out this feature for some tips on getting the right amp.
I was looking for availability of Laney Cub12R here. They don’t have it at the moment. But they are suggesting to buy cub head :
http://www.furtadosonline.com/product.php?pid=202376
my question is that is it same cub head and circuitry used in Cub12R, i mean is it same head which belong to cub12R or it is different Laney head, if you see the specification section? You suggestion will be really helpful :)
It’s the same.
Hi Bjorn!
I sold my vox ac15 a time ago and has always been wanting a fender deluxe reverb reissue (blackface).
What are your thoughts on having a deluxe reverb compared the hot rod series? I dont play in a band, but love to rock out at home, so, i can’t play too loud.
I like SRV, beatles, red hot chili peppers and all kinds of rock that isn’t too heavy (like metal).
I have a standard american stratocaster (fat 50s pickups), keeley mod+ ibanez ts808, and an original marshall blues breaker.
Second question: I can’t live without the ts808. Do you know of any pedals that work well with it (stacking).
And, I have been looking for a good compressor and delay pedal.
I would kill for the sound David G. has in the original “time” solo, and also the sound he has when he plays “a great day for freedom” in Gdansk!
Some thoughts on what i should do?
Love your webpage!
– Eivind
Hei Eivind! Beklager veldig sent svar… denne havnet av en eller annen grunn i spam-filteret. I guess you could go either way with those amps. They might be a bit too loud for bedroom/livingroom setups though… depending on how close your neighbours are :) You might want to check amps like the Laney Lionheart series as well, which are awesome for the tones you describe and you have the power scaling on the new Studio 5w.
The TS808 goes nicely with both Fender amos and the Laney but it’s not the best pedal for stacking, as it has a lot of compression and mid range, which can make other pedals choke. For more gain, I’d check out pedals like the Rat (or clones), Buffalo FX Evolution and even the Fulltone OCD. Hope this helps :)
Hi Bjorn, did you find you had to tweak your Laney Cub settings to accommodate for the brighter Thames?
It’s been a while but I probably rolled off the treble a bit, adjusted the pre gain and raised the lows a bit too.
I take it you’ll keep your eyes skinned for the new Sound City amps, courtesy of Fryette.
Yeah, I saw those. There was a company a few years back that used the name, but these were cheap knock-offs that didn’t last long. These new amps seems to be the real deal.
Hi Bjorn ive been hunting a hiwatt t20 for a while now and ive finnaly tracked down a store where i can get it shipped to me, but i’m torn between getting the T40 head or the T20 head. The t40 head might be a bit overkill for bedroom practices and its too big to fit on my 60w 1×12 but it is plently loud for getting the clean sounds i want at high volumes, while to t20 has lower power scaling for practicing. My main concern is getting volume out of it (t20), since i plan on using it for my clean sounds (most of what i play) and also for bass (rick 4003 bridge pickup into the head with a bass cab for high end in conjunction with the neck pickup into an ampeg pf20 for the low end) so im not sure if the t20 would be loud enough for both applications in a typical gigging situation.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks.
Hi Bjorn, Firstly thank you so much for all the demos and reviews, you’ve helped me considerably in shaping my tone. I’m currently using a Vick 73 Ram’s Head into a Fender blues Jr. III and find it sounds like an angry bee, its horrible and fizzy. I can only play at low, bedroom volumes and have a Pigs Hoof MkII and a Buffalo powerdriver both on order, do you think these to would work well into the Fender, OR as I do have the opportunity to swap it in for a Laney Lionheart 5watt 1×12 combo so do you think the Laney amp would be better with the two new pedals rather than the Fender? especially at low volumes? Thank you!
Hi Clive! I’ve talked about this issue in this feature. Take a look. Compared to many other Fenders, the Blues Jr has a bit of mid range and compression but it’s very bright (depending on the speaker) and as you’ve experienced, it doesn’t go that well with Big Muffs and vintage style boosters. If you want those sounds, I would either go for something a bit more versatile, as discussed in the Overdrive and Distortion Buyer’s Guide, or go for the Laney, which goes very well with most pedals.
Thank you Bjorn, I went for the Laney Lionheart 5W combo and boy am I glad I did! superb cleans and it takes pedals so well!
Yep!
Hi Bjorn!
I own a Bugera V22 which is a really nice amp, I really love it, and that was thanks to your article! ;)
But in order to have a more Gilmourish tone and a more transportable gear, I am looking for other type of heads and cabs. From what I’ve read so far in this page (comments and articles), my list came down to the Laney Cub and the Hiwatt T20HD. But, after reading all those good comments and tips about the H&K Tubemeister 18, I’m also considering this one. So I need your final advices to determine which will be the choosen one! :)
How is the tone of the H&K? I know you say this is a modern sounding amp, but after changing the stock tubes is it closer to vintage tones? And is it a mid scooped or a more mid-boosted/hiwatt-ish amp? Important thing for me since I read multiple times your post about tone, pedals and amps and how to correctly choose and stack them.
My goal is also to find an amp that will magnify my Muff and TD-X pedals, as I think I can’t make the best use of them on my Bugera. I also need the power scaling feature (which is on the 3 amps) to play in bedroom, and the DI red box output is a plus on the H&K to record some works. And of course, I would like something of good quality that will stand transport.
Considering all these points, which one would you recommend? Do you have other ideas? And which cabs would you recommend? (I know that you recommend using Celestion V30 speakers, is it easy to change a speaker on a cab that is doesn’t equipped with?)
Once again I had a lot of questions! ;) Thanks in advance, I hope you’ll have time to deal them!
Cheers!
Alexis
It’s always hard to recommend just one amp. It ultimately comes down to taste, use and needs… The Tubemeister is a modern sounding amp in every way and changing tubes won’t do much other than making it, in my case, a bit smoother and warmer. What I like about the TM is its ability to sound big on even the lowest volume levels. It can handle pretty much any pedal you throw at it and it’s really easy to record. I have a 18w and I bought it with home studio recording in mind. Not so much David’s tones, although I can easily set it up for that as well. Very versatile. I also recommend the Peavey Classic 30 or the new 20w head, which is great for home and studio use. Also, the Lionheart Studio 5 is hard to beat. Both in terms of tone and versatility.
Hi Bjorn,
Thanks a lot for your answer. I took a look at the Peavey Classic 20 Mini Head, and I must say that it is really impressive! It has beautiful clean sounds and a nice drive channel too. So I have the H&K and the Peavey in my final list to choose from.
Would you recommend a closed-back or an open-back cab? And is the size of the speaker important in terms of frequency response? I’ve read somewhere that there’s a loss of low frequencies when you reduce the size of the speaker, but maybe it depends also on the type/quality of the speaker? Moreover, I’m looking for a setup I’ll be able to carry on holidays, so I have to find a compromise between sound/quality and size/power.
Cheers, Alexis
Depends on how you’ll be using the cab and with what amp but based on what you write, I would go for a closed one and, if you intend to use pedals, I’d go for a 12″ speaker. That will provide a full and punchy tone and the speaker will have enough headroom for your pedals.
Hi Bjorn,
Following your advice, I finally bought a Laney Lionheart Studio L5 second-hand, and am very pleased with it! :) I plug it in an Orange PPC108 cab (1×8″ speaker), and it sounds good enough for practicing or going on holidays. I’ll try to connect it to the 1×12″ speaker of my Bugera V22 to hear the difference, until I have a dedicated 1×12″ cab for the L5. I also have some JJ replacement tubes for it.
Which are your usual Gilmourish settings for the L5? Did you try using the drive channel with low gain settings in order to have more presence, headroom or mids in your tone (and I assume, a more Hiwatt-ish tone)?
Cheers,
Alexis
Mine is a L20 but it’s the same amp. My settings are usually something like this:
gain channel, bright mode, gain 1.5, bass 6, mids full, treble off and tone off. The volume is usually pretty high. You might want to add a bit off tone if you keep the volume low.
Hi Bjorn,
I’d be very curious if you have any opinions on the Roland Blues Cube for bedroom use? I was surprised nobody has mentioned it.
I’m aware it’s not a tube amp but think it shouldn’t be dismissed and encourage anyone to give it a try. I tried out many of the amps mentioned in your list and in the discussion and wasn’t really considering the Blues Cube as an option as it’s solid state. But I ended up trying it out just as a curiosity after seeing some good comments on it.
I was leaning towards the Laney Cub 12R but after spending quite some time switching between it and the Blues Cube Stage I actually ended up buying the Blues Cube. I did find the Laney to have a bit more character and a more authentic tube tone. But it felt a little boxy and small to me and maybe a bit harsh. The Blues Cube had such a beautiful, round, open tone and sounded like a large amp. It also felt more versatile. Maybe to me the Laney had a too defined tone. But of course that’s completely a question of taste.
The Blues Cube is having some rave reviews and the Andertons videos on Youtube for instance are worth a watch, including the blindfold test comparing the Blues Cube with a modeling amp and a real tube amp.
I honestly don’t love the fact that the Blues Cube has some digital thing going on (I listen music almost exclusively on vinyl for instance), but I found that for my use, this was the best choice and solid state has it’s advantages in terms of maintenance for instance. It’s also dead quiet.
You can switch it between various different power settings and at 0.5W you get beautiful break up on the clean channel at very low volumes and great response in general. It’s also supposed to take pedals very well, but I haven’t had the opportunity to test that much yet.
It’s pricey for a solid state amp for sure, that’s maybe one of the main concerns I would have. In addition, if you want an effects loop, you’d have to go for the more expensive 80W Artist version (you also get a tremolo effect). The new Hot version has only one channel, but is a little more affordable.
Finally, the tone capsules are a very interesting prospect, drastically changing the way the amp sounds, especially depending on who might collaborate on new ones. There are currently a Robben Ford and a Eric Johnson capsule, plus an “Ultimate Blues” one. I find them extremely expensive however at 300$…
Anyway, that’s my experience after long research and a lot of testing, I would love to hear any comments you or any others might have!
Thanks for the insights! I actually haven’t tried the Blues so I can’t really add anything. I have focused on the amps I believe are good for replicating David’s tones, mainly based on price and what I have experience with. There are lots of other great souding amps out there in addition to my list :)
No problem, thanks for the reply and, I have to say, for the absolutely fantastic website! This list was extremely useful for me in finding the right amp and there’s just so much great information…
I found it interesting that you mention in your comment just below that one of the Tubemeister’s strengths is sounding big at low volumes and that was one thing that really drew me to the Blues Cube. I was used to big amps (Fender The Twin red knob most recently) and wanted to keep that feel as much as possible.
I also noticed I forgot to mention anything regarding getting Gilmour tones out of this amp in my original comment, but I believe this is a great choice for that. It’s actually modeled on the Fender Bassman, has that really nice Fender clean tone and loads of headroom on the Stage and Artist models.
Even though I chose this amp, I do think you really have to carefully compare it to a real tube amp to see if you are willing to accept the trade off of solid state vs. tube amp. I think this thing gets amazingly close in sound and how it reacts to playing and pedals, but there’s that final 10% missing in liveliness and something undefinable that you only get with valves. But again I recommend giving it a try if you want something that works well really at bedroom levels plus has more than enough volume in a band setting too.
Hi Bjørn,
I thinkin’ to buy the set ‘HiWatt Little D + WEM cab’.
I Guess the cab will do fine.
But noticed the fact that on ‘Gilmourish.com’ there’s nothing about it, I have doubts about the head.
I guess it is PCB and not PTP?
What is your opinion about that amplifier?
Looking forward to your answer for wich I’m very thankfull already.
All the best for you and your wonderful work.
E D G. Marie
Hi Eric! To be honest, I don’t know much about the specs of the amp but I’m sure it is a nice sounding one and sturdy for the road. The reason I haven’t written about it or recommended it is that I don’t think the way Hiwatt presented it is fair. They’re fooling their customers into thinking that it’s endorsed by David and, that it’s a replica of one of his amps. It is not. It has nothing to do with David apart from being somewhat similar to the Hiwatts he’s been using since the early 70s. Again, I’m sure it’s a nice amp, I have no reason to believe otherwise, but I will not promote it based on the above.
Bjorn, This is an excellent website where i keep coming and re-reading older post and look forward for newer post eagerly :)
My question is that have you used AMP simulator anytime? There are some AMP simulator by Tech 21 character series and Joyo pedals which simulates following AMP.
JF-13 AC Tone = Tech 21 Character, Liverpool or VOX AC AMP Simulator
JF-14 American Sound = Tech 21 Character, Blonde or FENDER 57 DELUXE AMP Simulator
JF-15 California Sound = Tech 21 Character, California or MESA BOOGIE AMP Simulator
JF-16 British Sound = Tech 21 Character, British or MARSHALL AMP Simulator
Which one do you think will be closer to Laney Cub12 or Laney Lionheart sound with more mid range ? or which AMP simulator will simulate more mid range ?
Thanks Ratan! I’ve never tried any of these pedals but I guess the JF-16 would be the closest. The other three have a more brighter, mids scooped tone.
Hello Bjorn, how are you?
What you recommend in a bedroom setup, one cab with 2 speaker 12″ or with 1 speaker?
I know it’s a stupid question but I would like to know your opinion.
I play a Strat with a Hiwatt T20.
Best regards
Joao Bicudo
Depends on the amp and the speaker and whether you’ll be using it with pedals or not. Too much headroom on bedroom levels, will often sound thin on lower volume. Too much compression, will make it hard to use certain pedals without getting too much noise and gain. But, in general, I would say that a 1×12″ is enough for a bedroom setup.
Hi Bjorn, What do you think about Reeves Custom 50 PS (with power scaling). I have a potential in this city which is rare and I love the idea of having Hiwatt tone with EL34 in a more home friendly volume. Please comment. Thank you.
Do a search on the site and see my previous comments on the PS. Whether the PS useful or redundant depends on how you’ll be using the amp.
I’ve been on the hunt for a new amplifier for a while now, and am doing most of my playing at home these days, with only the odd gig. Because I only want to own one amp though I want something that can accommodate both situations.
I’ve recently tried a Fender Princeton and Deluxe, a Marshall 2061X, and my brother owns a Fender Blues Jr with the Bill M mods. The thing about all these amps is that I get you can get them working without excessive volume, but they all sound “small” to me and seem to lack any low end and ooomph to the notes. When I plugged into a Tweed Bassman after playing the Princeton and then Deluxe it just had a much bigger authoritative voice.
I’m looking at an amp by a company called 3rd Power called the Dream 40 American. Its 40W 6L6 tubes, but has a really good master volume system. I realise for home use the master will be choked down a long way though. Do you think its better to get a smaller amp so that both the preamp and power section can work?
For low volume bedroom setups, I find that amps with emphasis on the mids tend to sound bigger than say a typical Fender or Vox, which often need a bit of volume. Marshalls, Peavy Classic and the Laney Lionheart are amps that I’ve used at home with great success. Usually, a 15w amp can do most gig situations but you can also mic it.
Hi Bjorn
First of all excellent website, all information in here has really helped me in achieving similar tones to Gilmour :)
I would like your opinion on the: Laney Lionheart L20T-410 20W 4×10 Tube Guitar. It might be a long shot, but if you have tried it, does it come close to the L20 combo? I have found a really good offer for one of these, so thought it might be a good oppurtunity. Thank you in advance !
– Philip
Thanks Philip! As you might know, I’ve been using the Lionheart L20 head with a 2×12″ cab for some years now and most of my pedal demos are recorded with it. I haven’t tried the 10″ but although the tone would be the same, you’d probably have less headroom and low end. Still, I think the Lionhearts are hard to beat in that price point.
Hej Bjorn
I see ! Thank you for the input. Is your 2×12″ cab also lionheart? and if not could you recommend a cab that would go well together with the L20? I am considering the L20T-112 as well, since i am mostly going to play in my bedroom, but play from time to time in a band as well. Once again thank you for taking the time to help me :).
Yep, my main cab now is the Lionheart with a pair of Celestion V30s. As long as you get a decent quality cab, it’s the speakers that matters and whether the cab is open or closed back.
Hi Bjorn
Would love to know your thoughts on the WEM Dominator mkiii
Do you have any knowledge of this amp and would it go well for DG tones?
Any Advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks as alwaysRick.
Never tried it so I can’t really tell…
Hi!
For some first recordings I am after the Fender sound. Volume is not a problem in this case.
In particular I am interested in Fender vintage reissue amps. Deluxe, Super, Twin Reverb and the ’59 Bassman.
My main concern is the construction quality. I see many boutique makers, do their version on all sorts of classic and vintage amps, with point to point electronics etc (Achilles, Hitone, Friedman), which I can’t try (Greece, again…). They gain much reputation over their “official” counterparts and I am worried if for example, a modern Fender Twin is really that good.
What is your opinion?
The overall quality and build of the Fender amps is very good, so I wouldn’t worry about that. The clones often have improved details and the tone might have been tweaked slightly.
Hi Bjorn!
I was thinking to upgrade my Laney Cub 12r, for a more defined tone and for more full sound.
Was thinking to upgrade the pre amp tubes (from Ruby Shuguang 12ax7/ecc83) and speaker (from HH).
Which one do you think is the best tube? (best for DG’s sound of course):
-Tung sol’s 12ax7
-Sovtek’s 12ax7
-jj’s 12ax7
-mullard’s 12ax7
-Any one else?
And which speaker do you recommend (again, best for DG’s sound):
-Celestion G12m Greenback 16 Ohms Parlante 25w
-Celestion Parlante Classic Vintage 30 60w 16 Ohms
-Celestion G12h 70th Anniversary 16 Y 8 Ohms Parlante 12 30w
-Any one else?
( I cant find Weber Thames Speakers here in Argetina)
What Ohms is best? 16 or 8 hms?
What watts is best? 60w, 30w, 25w? (for Laney Cub 12r)
I play on the living room at moderate volumen. Could I hear any difference if I make this upgrades to the my Laney?
Thank you so much! you are my guide! =)
Hi! I’m using JJs myself. Always have. They’re nice and warm, but punchy enough for pushing the amp properly. They’re also the closest to the old Mullards. Weber Thames are based on the old Fane Crescendo speakers, which are very bright and loud. Perhaps not the best match for the Cub although I’ve used them for some time and like the sound. I’d probably go for the V30s or G12H. The V30s can sound a bit flabby and dark in an open back cab but on low bedroom volume, they’ll add a nice warmth and presence. The G12H has a nice upper mids chime and sparkle. You’ll definitely notice the upgrades and I think they’ll make the Cub sound much tighter and more balanced. Whether these are the upgrades you like or not… You decide :)
Hi. I’m very lucky to have the Lionheart L5 Studio and both Lionheart LT112 and LT212 cabinets. On the whole, I prefer the head through the 2×12 as it sounds warmer and more open. The 1×12 still sounds great but is a little more ‘punchy’. The 1×12 is quite new so it will only sound better as the speaker beds in. I plan to get the L20H and see what that sounds like running at 4ohms through both cabs :) I can’t recommend the Lionheart series enough, beautifully made, lovely to look at…oh and they sound sweet too.
Hi Bjorn, I am searching for a good tube amp for quite time now…
I am really confused and am not sure what to get.
I want to use an amp for both home, recording and live.
So basically, what confuses me is amplifier headroom, I know what it means, but what I don’t know is if I need it.
So basically I’ve came to two choices
1. Laney Cub stack
I love that it’s 15w and has 1w for home playing. But I’ve read some reviews on this amp and many people said that this amp doesn’t have a lot of headroom, so I guess it wouldn’t be suitable for band practice?
2. Fender Blues Deluxe
I’ve always wanted a Fender amp for its cleans, but I read as well that this amp breaks at around volume 4. I don’t know how loud it is, but pretty sure it would make my ears bleed at home at vol 4.
What really makes me even consider Fender Blues Deluxe is the price I could get it for used. €600 (looks like new, could maybe lower the price to €550) from a guy in my town.
Whereas I’d buy Laney cub stack bundle from http://www.thomann.de https://www.thomann.de/gb/laney_cub_head_bundle.htm
for €450 excl. vat. So with vat I’d pay it around €500 for sure (also please check the link so I don’t buy the wrong amp if I choose to buy it )
So I ask myself is €100 worth paying more and getting Fender Blues Deluxe?
As for the sound, I won’t lie, I like Laney’s sound better for Pink Floyd.
Now the main question, if I went with Laney cub stack could I play live with it (if mic’ed), and since you already own it, how much can you turn it up before it starts to break? And what would you do if you were me?
Sorry for the long post, really wanted to get this off my chest :/
Thank you :)
Hi Armin. Well, only you can decide what type of amp you need. Great answer, right? But it’s really the truth… Both the Laney Cub and Lionheart have that British flavour. Kind of a mix between a Vox, early Marshall and a hint of the Hiwatt. The Cub doesn’t have a lot of headroom but enough for bedroom practice and neighbour friendly recording. The Lionheart has plenty of headroom on both the clean and dirty channel. Fender amps usually have more headroom than most amps but they usually also lack some of that mid range and compression, which makes it sound very different from the typical British amps. My opinion is that you’re often better off with a darker sounding amp for bedrooms, meaning more mids and compression, because you want to compensate for the lack of tube and speaker compression you get from playing loud, which is crucial for getting those smooth tones. Which amp you should choose, depends on what tones you’re looking for, what sort of music you’ll be playing, how you’ll be using the amp and with what pedals and guitars.
Hi Bjorn, what do you think about the Bugera BC30 ? compared with the V22 and V55 is not 100% tube but it have 2×12 celestion speakers…
Never tried it. Sorry.
Hi Bjorn,
I’m going to live in a small apartment with many neighbors and thin walls and I want to buy an amp…Which tube amp could I choose if I don’t want to wake up everybody!
Is it possible to play guitar in a tube amp with headphones with a special output (like the backstage ht1 ) or with an attenuator (in this case I would choose a planet cub 12r…) I’m ready to play with headphones. Alternatively there is the fender mustang iii v2 (100w is it too loud for a modulation amp? There is also the I and the ii ) or the yamaha thr 10 v2 which is good but I can’t use my pedals effects and I want to keep them! I’m very perplexed and I don’t know at all which I should select…
Thanks!!
Hi Eric! Check out the new Laney Lionheart L5 Studio. It’s packed with cool features and aimed specifically for bedrooms and studio players. Great, classic tone too!
Great, thank you!!! The specs are right for me! Just a last thing: if I buy a cabinet with it, which should I choose? LT212 or LT112?
There is a stack head + 2*12 cab for 1000€
And the head with the 1*12 cab (sold separately) cost me aso 1000 €
So which is the best for gilmourish tones?
Both works nicely for Gilmour’s tones. Depends on how you’ll be using the amp. For a bedroom type of setup and studio, you’re fine with just the 112 but for rehearsal and stage, you’d probably want the 212 for more headroom and power.
Hi Bjorn and thanks for your always precious answers. I have got a fantastic sounding lunchbox Laney L5 Studio, i’d like to pair another lunchbox with another good sounding emulated output (i always use the emulated output on the laney); what do you suggest to me? Peavey Classic 20, Blackstar HT, Bugera Gx Infinium…thanks very much !
The Peavey… between the ones you mention :)
And adding the new Fender BassBreaker 15 and HiWatt T20 (with external cabsim)? Thanks again
Depeds on what you’re looking for. Something similar to the Laney or something very different? The Fender would be the least similar and it would provide a nice pristine clean tone, to the darker Laney.
so the fender would be brighter than the laney and/or peavey. have you ever tried the peavey valve king 20MH? what about its clean channel compared to the peavey classic 20MH (drive channels are completely different, i know)
I haven’t, sorry. Most Fender amps, has little compression and either a flat mid frequency or scooped. The Lionheart, Peavey Classic, Marshalls, Hiwatts etc are just the oposite of that. They have lots of compression and mids, and are therefore darker and perhaps also easier to combine with a wider range of pedals.
I have a Laney Cub head and recently purchased a Fender Bassbreaker 15 head. The Fender Bassbreaker actually sounds almost identical to the Cub (through the same 2×12 Cab with Celestion G12H-30s). The Bassbreaker Series are pretty much Marshall Plexis, they sound nothing like a typical Fender. You should try it out, Bjorn. If you like the Laney Cub, you’ll love the Bassbreaker Series. Highly recommended
Thanks for the tip! The Cub is very close to those early Marshalls and Fenders, so that makes sense :)
Hi Will! how the Cub 12’s sounds with Celestion G12H-30s? (G12h anniversary, I guess)
I read that it can sound unbalanced, bright and harsh. And the clean sound with a stratocaster is not the best.
How are the clean and distortion sounds?
I want to update my Laney cub 12r speaker, to play Gilmour tones of course. I in between the G12h anni and V30. I know that the two of them could fit nice, but i want to pick up the perfect one. Any tip could be great!
Here is the source:
http://pickroar.com/603/the-greenback-and-h30-myth/comment-page-1/
The Celestion G12H-30 (yes, Anniversary) CAN sound very bright, but the Laney Cub has a Tone knob which can make the amp brighter or darker. After trying a couple of speakers, I personally feel that it’s the best type of speaker for the Cub in an open-back cabinet. IMO, Greenbacks and Vintage 30s only sound good on closed-back cabinets. Another speaker that I recommend for the Cub is WGS Reaper 30. It’s their version of the G12H-30 (Anniversary), super high-quality and made here in USA.
Here’s the link:
https://wgs4.com/Reaper
Hello Bjorn,
Thanks again for sharing your technical knowledge. It does really help!
I just would like toknow what would be your approach regarding the INPUT to use when you plug your guitars into laney Lionheart? I know you’ve got Humbucker guitars (LP), telecasters, Strats with Vintage type of Pickups (Cs 69), Strats with ACtive EMG SA pickups….
What would you recommend? Hi Input? Low INPUT?
Best regards,
Christophe
I always use the Hi for passive electronics and the Low for active pikcups.
Hi Bjorn, I really would like to go for the Thames Weber`s for my Cub Cabinet . I just feel for bedroom use the Weber`s could be a waste not being able to drive them to there full. What do you think of the Celestion V30s . Maybe I will just go for the Weber`s in the end. Kind regard Stu.
See my last reply :)
Hi Bjorn, What was your view on the Rocket 50s that are in the Laney Cub Cabinets. Are they any good for bedroom/home use. Some people say they are terrible and others say they are good.
Depends on how picky you are, I guess. I often think that when people say things are terrible, it’s either because they want to show off or, they haven’t really tried to make it sound good. The Rockets are OK. A bit flat and not overly exciting but on low bedroom level, it’s hard to tell the difference between a good and bad speaker, with the same specs. It’s more down to how you set the amp and pedals to compensate for the lack of mids and compression you get from playing loud. If you can afford it, I’d look into V30s or G12H, which both goes nicely with the amp and provides a bit more tone.
Hello Bjorn,
I’d like to have some of your advices before buying a new tube head.
You ‘ve written that the laney CUB head has “a familiar 70s Marshall/Hiwatt-ish character”. Compared to the Lionheart wich is a JTM / early Marshall type of amp, would you describe the CuB HEAD as a 70’s type of Marshall, which would mean a “Metal face” JMP area Marshall? Or do you mean, the Cub sounds more like a “end of 60’s” Superlead ?
Chirstophe
Well, it’s neither I guess. The Cub doesn’t really sound like any other amp but it has a typical British flavour, combining a bit of the Vox/Hiwatt chime and the early Marshall JTM mids and compression. It’s really not that different from the Lionheart but the Lionheart sounds tighter and, with the two channels, much more versatile, covering more ground.
Bjorn – Great article and very very helpful for those who are struggling to find a classic Gilmour sound. I am actually looking for a small amp for home practice and I have seen you have recommended quite a few including Laney cub. But can you please tell me about the Vox AC4C-BL 4W with Top Boost Blue amp. I saw this one in local guitar center with very good reviews specially about clean tones. It also very compact and not very pricey
– Thanks
Sayan
I haven’t tried that one, so I can’t really comment on it. Vox amps in general have a very scooped tone. Meaning that they lack the mid range presence typical of the amps David often use and rely on. If you do get one, I’d go for mid range oriented overdrives and distortion pedals for the best results. Read more about that in the Buyer’s Guide for Overdrives and Distortions.
Hello everyone,
Would a Mesa/Boogie 50. Caliber (EL-84 version) do the job? I own one, but haven’t tried to get Gilmour tones out of it, because I don’t yet own a Big Muff and a CE-2 Chorus; etc, but will soon in the future. But again… Will the 50. Cal be any good as a pedal platform for Gilmour tones?
Greetz.
You should be able to get some nice Gilmour tones with it. Don’t have much experience with it myself but it’s kind of a bridge between the classic Fender-ish Mesa amps and the more modern Rectifiers. Slightly scooped but enough mids and compression to give a nice basis for most Gilmour pedals.
Thank you very much, Bjorn. Sorry for the belated reply, haha. :P
I have been looking over your site, and am a fan of David Gilmour’s tone. I know he used to use the Alembic F2b preamp as part of that tone. I have created a PCB inspired by the Alembic F2b, I call the Frog Tube Preamp PCB. It is unique because the size of the power supply allows you to install it in a standard sized foot pedal enclosure. You can also choose Russian submini tubes or standard ECC8x tube configuration. I plan to start making them for sale in 2017 (after FCC certifications are complete), but the PCB is available now. What is the procedure to get a mention on your site? This is the biggest David Gilmour site and probably the most popular site that contains Alembic F2b info. Any thoughts would be appreciated. The PCB is already being sent to Europe and Canada and USA.
Send me an email post(at)gilmourish.com.
Hello Bjorn, have you managed to review the Frog PX1. I’m planning to build one myself and I wonder if you have ever had the chance to test an Alembic F2b preamp, for suggested settings and necessary mods to try to catch DG’s tone. Best, Andre
Don’t have any experience with these, sorry. I know there are several people here on the site that own a F2b. Anyone care to share?
hi, Bjorn, I’m asking this question for my friend, who want to know which marshall amp is better for DG’s tone. they are: JCM800,1959Marshall Plexi 100W, 1965Marshall JTM45 Bluesbreaker, Marshall JTM45.
you know, he is a big Marshall fan.
Thanks for your advice!
You can pretty much use all of these, given that you know how to set them up for the right tones. The only Marshall amps I would keep away from, are the amps aimed at the heavier sounds and most of the transistor amps. The old Plexi and JTMs in particular are great for Gilmour’s tones.
Got it! you are so helpful!
Thx
I just picked up the 

Laney Cub 12 stack, and I a SOOOOO happy that I did!!! I am floored by the quality of the tone coming out of this AMP, especially one in this price range!! This is my first tube AMP and I cannot believe I waited this long to purchase one! Thank you for pointing me in the right direction! You guys are awesome!!
Congrats!
Hey Bjorn. Thank you for a wonderful range of amps for the Gilmour sounds you brought us. I really want a Blues Jr, but my only worry is that it hasn’t got an FX loop, which could be quite handy when it comes to delay and so on. Is the FX loop crucial enough for me to straight up abandon this amp ? Thank you :)
Unless you want to use the amp for overdrive and distortion, there’s no need for a loop. Just set the amp up for a nice clean tone, and run all the effects into the front end of the amp.
Hey Bjorn,
Absolutely love the site. I’ve spent a lot of time reading and trying your recommendations to get “that tone” and I’ve come very close..Many thanks. My pedal board : (buffer, compressor, muff clone, clean boost, into the input, then the flanger, phaser, delay, and a tremolo (not for gilmour stuff, but more for stones and others) running via the effects loop… All this is through a Traynor ycv20wr amp… sounds good, but “not quite.” Although I love the amp, I’ve given up on getting “HiWatt clean punch” out of it and will relegate to other pursuits (it’s great for other styles/tones. from AC/DC to Rolling stones…but no Gilmour…)
So, my question is– in the sub $6-700 (USD) range.. what would you recommend for a dedicated Gilmour rig? I’m leaning heavily towards the H&K tubemeister 18, and am currently playing with a borrowed Egnater Tweaker… I don’t play out currently..so 15-20 watts is all I need…
Thanks in advance!
The H&K is great but perhaps not the way to go if you’re looking for a better Gilmour than what you already have. Although I rarely use it for Gilmour stuff, I can get some nice Gilmour tones with it and it can handle pretty much any pedal but the overall tone, is very pristine and modern. Perhaps a tad above your budget but I’d look into the Peavey Classic 30 or the Laney Lionhearts. Both series feature amps in different sizes and wattagem, including smaller studio/bedroom heads.
Ok, thanks Bjorn!
So, what would be your suggestion to set the head “as close as possible” to a Fender Bassman…. Clean or gain channel (and what would be your settings’ advice: Hi or Low Input, knob settings…)
Thank you for your help!
Seb
My main settings are loosely based on that Bassman/JTM tone, only a tad darker I guess… drive channel, bright mode, drive a hair below 2, volume as desired, bass 6, middle 6, treble 3, tone either off or just a hair below 1, reverb off. Try this and tweak your way around that for your pickups and pedals.
Hi Bjorn.
When you write that the laney L5 head is like an AC30 with more tweakable mids, do you mean that it an be set like a fender bassman ? (would you set the mids to a very low setting?). Any advices of setting for a clean fender tone?
And, is there a big difference between the L5 studio and L20 head (home practice )?
best regards,
Sebastien
The 5w and 20w is the same amp and for a bedroom/livingroom, the 5w will be more than enough. It has plenty of headroom too. The Lionheart is not a Fender and although you can get sounds somewhat similar to a Bassman, I think it’s much more in that British tradition, closer to the AC30 and the early Marshalls. I know the Bassman and JTMs are more or less identical, but there’s more of the Marshall sound that a Fender.
Hi Bjorn, I am looking for your experience and knowledge again on a number of questions – hope you don’t mind! I am seriously looking at an upgrade from my Laney cub 12r to the Laney Lionheart L20 combo. In your articles on amps you mention that it is best to go with low wattage amps for bedroom use so that you can open them up by raising the volume and finding that sweet spot. Is the Laney L20 too much for a bedroom situation to get the best from it or would I be better off with the Laney Lionheart 5 watt, though i wonder if the headroom would be sufficient with the 5 watt? I know you say you can easily get Gilmour tones with the Lionheart and yet obtain other tones for different styles too, this is one of the attractions of this amp for me. Any advice, tips etc would be much appreciated. Once again thanks for this awesome site from which i continue to learn so much.
Thanks for the kind words, Bernie! I think the L20 would be too loud. It is for my house, anyway :) The 5w, or the new Studio 5w, is more than enough and they have lots of headroom. The Studio would probably be the best choice, as you can downsize the wattage. These amps are loud :)
Thanks for the quick response as usual Bjorn. I hadn’t consider the studio 5w head, this sounds great and cheaper than byuing the L5t – 112 as I like the power scaling on the cub for not upsetting the wife or neighbors lol. I already have a Thames Weber 80 w speaker that I use.. How does the Laney Lionheart sound with the Thames as I know you too have these speakers. still want the Gilmour tones but also want the versatility of my own tones. Once again thanks for giving your time to help us beginners find what we seek!
I think the Lionheart works best with some tighter sounding Celestions, like V30s or the stock GH12s. The Fanes/Webers are too bright and even a bit flabby in the lows, with the Lionheart.
Hi Bjorn!
My Blues Jr. has either a bad tube or multiple bad tubes. I want to get a full set of JJ’s from Eurotubes but they have so many options, I wondered what your opinion is. They have the regular JJ’s and the gold pin JJ’s which are supposed to be more smooth and rich. And you can have the option of maximum headroom, moderate headroom, or early breakup. I play mostly low volume at my house. Which set do you think would be most Gilmourish? Also, what is a good replacement speaker for the Jr.? The stock speaker seems a bit shrill.
Thanks!
By Gilmourish, I assume you mean, which is the closest to what David’s using. Keep in mind that tubes are just a very small part of his tone and the differences between tubes, are minimal. How they sound, depends on the amp, pickups and pedals you use with them. Anyway, I use gold pins with moderate headroom. They works nicely with my amps. They sound punchy and focused. Not too clean but with lots of headroom still.
hi bjorn, first of all, thank you for all your info here, helped me a lot. I have a Hiwatt T40 Combo. Sounds realy good to me. Now i will get a Yamaha ra Leslie Speaker, i found. I wonder how to combine these two amps. I dont realy know where i have to split the Signal. Before the pedalboard ?- so that i have the clean (undistorted Signal) to the yamaha and the distorted (Muff, TD) signal after the pedalboard to the Hiwatt ? – or do i have to split it after the pedalbord, so that the distorted Sound goes to the hiwatt and the yamaha? I realy hope you can give me some advise. Many Thanks!
I recommend that you dry different setups and decide based on what you like. In regards to David’s tones, he split the signal after the pedalboard so that both the Hiwatts and Yamaha got the full effected signal, with modulations and delays.
Hi Bjorn!
I’m looking for a Gilmourish amp and I’m tossing up between the Hiwatt T20 or the Laney Lionheart 20 head. I found a second hand T20 at a pretty cheap price, but I’m not sure if I should wait for a Lionheart to pop as they are rare second hand. Any preferences between these two heads? Stuff like cleans, taking pedals, cutting through the mix etc
Thanks heaps!
You can go either way and it depends on what speakers you use with the head. The Hiwatt might provide a more accurate Gilmour tone but, in my opinion, the Lionheart is a more versatile amp, especially if you want to play other stuff as well.
Hi Bjorn, I just saw this little intro article about Sound City Master 50 introduced in NAMM 2016. I’m hoping it would offer the 70s Hiwatt Custom 50 tone but a bit more affordable:
http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/24334-summer-namm-2016-editors-picks-day-1?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SNAMM%202016%20Day%201&utm_term=PG%20Weekly
If you end up having a chance to test the amp, please let us know.
Thanks,
Arya
Interesting! I know some bought the Sound City lisence a few years back and did some really crappy stuff but this looks different. I hope to try it out.
Those who have extra money to spend I recommend Mario Punsola (http://www.mpf-sound.es) from Barcelona. I myself come from Slovakia and have full trust in this gentleman. He made for me a custom head based on DR103 circuit. Scalable 10-5-2W. Sounds and looks fantastic … Y
Thanks for the tip!
hi bjorn,
how are you!
I just got a Hughes & Kettner Matrix 120 combo from my friend, and I want to use the return socket in the fx loop, and it turned out the tone changed when I switch different channel. it’s wired, because the return socket should go to poweramp directly, it should not change anything when I switch the channel. Do you have any idea of this?
by the way, it is a 212 combo with celestion G12T-100 speaker, is this one option for DG’s tone?
thanks!
I don’t have any experience with this amp so I can’t really tell. Sorry.
hi, bjorn; once again a question for you! do you use a particular brand of tubes or new old stock one in your tube amps? can you suggest me something good for my new laney L5 studio (nos siemens, jan-ge, mallard or new genalex, jj…) thanks again for all your precious help
I use NOS JJs for all my tube applications.
Well, I just picked up a Carvin Belair 2×12, and it’s AWESOME!!
Comparable to the Peavey Classic 50 212, but at half the price.
I don’t know why Carvin amps get overlooked so often, but a really good product.
Mr. Riis,
Thank you for your efforts creating and maintaining this site. It truly is a wonderful resource.
Out of curiosity, have you ever tried using two amps simultaneously? The goal, as I’ve read, is to combine a scooped amp (eg Fender) with a more midrange-prominent amp (eg Marshall) and blend the best of both worlds.
I have recently learned of this watching the “That Pedal Show” YouTube channel featuring Daniel Steinhardt and Mick Taylor (not the same Mick Taylor from the Rolling Stones.)
For the gigging musician, I suppose it creates some practicality issues, but Mr. Steinhardt (creator of the GigRig pedalboard switching system) is a renowned tone chaser and swears by this type of set up. Just wondering.
Hi Patrick. I have but I usually just have one amp in the rig. David did something similar for the Division Bell recording sessions, with a stereo setup consisting of two Hiwatts and two Fender Bassmans.
Hi Bjorn,
Congrats again for this wonderful website ! :)
I’ll need to change the tubes in my Laney cub12r and I would like to have your advice on the type and brand that will better fit my little combo. Do you have any suggestion ?
Many thanks in advance for your answer.
Kind regards,
David.
Thank you David! I’ve been using JJ Electronics tubes for nearly 15 years now for all my tube applications and I’m very happy with them.
After about a month, I couldn’t be happier with the Reeves Custom 12 PS head. I’ve matched the head with a 212 custom made VOX style cabinet loaded with 80’s era Fane Classic 50 speakers. I found one on Craigslist for $90 located here in Southern California and the other one in London via Ebay for $120 shipped. Speakers are virtually identical, 8ohm each. I then bought an early 60s Mullard 12ax7 and two matched NOS Tungsram EL84s from a guy in Spain. OH the TONE through this rig! It has a lot of headroom and is really more hitwattish than Jim in my opinion. I think the Fanes at a huge role in that regard. I paid $770 for the Reeves head used in. mint condition off Reverb.com. I know Bjorn you suggest JJ tubes and that’s what this Custom 12 had in it but the right NOS tubes really help with the tone and like I mentioned… Fane is not in vane!
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Bjørn! Thank you for all your hard work and this amazing site! I wanted to get your thoughts on a a low wattage amp for use in an NYC apartment to serve as a good Gilmour clean/pedal platform–I’m currently looking at the Fender Princeton Reverb Reissue or the Reeves Custom 12 power scaling. Which would you recommend?
They’re two very different sounding amps and although not typical for David’s they should both give you a nice basis for your pedals. Neither has tons of headroom but depending on how lou you play and your pickups, the headroom should be enough. The Fender has more mids and compression than most Fenders but there’s still that unmistakable Fender tone. The Reeves is very similar to an early Marshall, with more mids and a crunchier breakup.
Thanks Bjorn!
Hi Bjørn! Thank you for a wonderful site. I’m basically basing all my purchases on your recommendations and have now bought a 5w Laney Lionheart :) My question is if you know if the Laney can easily be used with an attenuator, and if that is something you would recommend?
/Anders
Glad you enjoy the site, Anders! Yes, you can easily use the Lionheart with an attenuator. There are several models out there, including Weber, THD and Suhr. They’ll all do the job but they have different features so do a quick search and check them out :)
Hi Anders,
I also have a 5w Lionheart (although the studio version with 0.5w but I use it on the 5w 90% of the time) and was just wondering if you can’t get good tones out of it with decent volume?
Or do you need to have it on really low volume?
I guess I’m lucky in that I live in a fully detached house and none of the neighbours complain even when I crank up my 22w Fender Supersonic.
Hello Bjorn,
Having the Lionheart myself I was reading some stuff on the internet and people have reported getting a volume increase and more highs when they patch the FX Loop. Or even just put pedals in it, just as long as the FX Loop isn’t bypassed.
Have you tried it? At work at the moment but I will try it when I get home and let everyone know if it worked.
It’s been a couple of years since I tried it but I can’t remember any issues… Let me know.
Hi Bjorn,
I was wondering if you could suggest a low wattage amp that is in par with the tone and quality of Laney Lionheart L20H head but something perhaps easier to be found in Canada. I bought a Laney Cub head but I found the wattage is not quite there unless I use the gain knob. I found out it reduces the sparkle and definition to some degree if I bring the gain to 2 (as you suggested). At 1 or below, it is decently clear but too low output. I like something that works well with Laney Cub though so I get a relatively balanced coverage with a stereo setup (using both left and right output from my delay pedal). I have two cabinets and I can balance out the tone a bit between them. The separation of gain volume and gain amount, plus the clean volume and bright switch in L20H is a flexible enough signal flow. I don’t know any amp that is made in US or available in North America offers this kind of signal flow in the low wattage design. Something that has a presence control and not too scooped (have a bit compressed thick mid-range) while having a nice clean tone that the sparkle can come throughwithout cranking the treble to make it sound shrill. I don’t know if that combination exists since most amps either have a thick mid-range or sparkle but lacking compression hence the mid-range is not thick enough. If I have to choose between the two, I guess I should pick the one with more mids to match the Laney Cub.
Thanks a lot,
Arya
Hmmm… tough question. I really haven’t found an amp that has the same features and tone as the Lionheart. You could go for a vintage sounding Marshall I guess, and some of the newer “classic” models could do but other than that I’m not sure. The Hiwatt Custom and Tube series could also do the job. I’d check around and look for amp reviews in your price range and category.
Thanks Bjorn for your reply. How about Bugera V22 or V55? You mentioned it has a sound like a vintage AC30. Do you think I will have too much high frequency in my face to counteract getting a nice smooth overdrive end result. I’m hoping my amp would tame some of that harsh overtones from my tube driver or other dirt pedals not to accentuate it!
Bugera is easier to find in Canada. Also there are some older used Laney units like VC-30. Are they also similar sound like Vox AC30?
I think they’re based on the Matchless amps, which has obvious similarities to the AC30. You can’t really compare it to the AC30 though, as the Bugera has much more tweakability. Both amps makes a nice basis for most of David’s pedals but again, how everything will sound eventually, depends on how you’ll be using the amp and with what pedals.
Hi Bjorn,
I’m looking for a better amp. I play blues as well as a ton of Gilmour/Floyd. I was originally going to buy a reissue Deleuxe Reverb or reissue 59 Bassman, but then I saw I can get a real 70’s Hiwatt DR103 for around the same, and then run it through a Marshall cab I have. Which of the three will be best for me?
I’ll be playing in the studio and stage, so no amp is too loud. Will I be able to get the cleans of the deluxe reverb with the Hiwatt? I plan to run my amp completely clean and use something like an OCD for grit.
I’m having a hard time here so any adivce is greatly appreciated
Thanks
The Hiwatt DR103 has all the headroom in the world, so no worries there. Personally, I think either a Bassman or a Laney Lionheart L20, which I’m using myself, is a much more versatile amp and especially for the stuff you’re playing. I’d consider one of them at least.
…or both! Using multiple tube amps and blending the tone to taste is a brilliant tone technique and doesn’t get enough consideration in online discussions that I see.
hi bjorn, i’ve just bought a new H&K Tubemeister Deluxe 20; I find it very crystal on clean sounds but a little harsh with distortion sounds. The redcab simulator is even harsher. Have you tried it? How do you rate the old Tubemeister 18 with direct Redbox? Thanks regards
The clean channel on these Tubemeister amps is somewhat similar to a loud clean Fender, so the lack of compression and mid range will make your gain pedals sound fizzy. I’m using the gain channel on mine, which is much closer to a Marshall, with lots of mids and compression. Try setting it up for either 20w or 5w, roll the treble down to 9:00 or even all the way down, bass 2:00 and mids 3:00 or all the way up. Set the gain at aprox 8:00 and the master volume as desired. You may have to fine tune these settings for the right amount of high end and headroom. Hope this helps.
Thanks bjorn, have You tried the new deluxe 20? It seems to be different from the old 18 and more similar to the TriAmp
No but I think it’s very similar to the Tubemesiter standard models, with a few extra features.
Hi, do you suggest ti buy deluxe 20 ?
I am pursuing gilmourish tones, and was considering the Hiwatt little d but after reading less than ideal reviews, the little d probably isn’t going to be a contender. I am looking for an amp suitable for bedroom setup and am seriously considering the Lionheart l5t, Lionheart l5 studio and the cub 12. The Lionhearts seem to be quality amps but which would you recommend for a bedroom setup to really dial in gilmour tones? Thank you for all you do!
Of the three, I think the new L5 Studio would be the most versatile. The Lionheart has two channels, the clean being close to a AC30 and the dirt similar to an early Marshall and you got all these features for both attenuation and recording. It handles pedals very well.
You recommend the L5 Studio for a bedroom but should I get the combo or only the head? I’m assuming the combo head and cabinet??? I’m new to this so I apologize but I noticed in an earlier post you recommended the L20 to use many pedals. Does this mean I should get the L20 for my bedroom? If I’m going to spend the money I’d like to do it right. I want a good amp that is going to last and I want an amp that will allow me to nail the Gilmour tones. I’m willing to do what it takes, but the volume level probably wont ever exceed playing in my house. Thanks Bjorn!
P.S. I’m trying to get tickets to any of the Gilmour shows in Europe, preferably first row. Are there any websites you’re aware of where I might find tickets other than Stubhub or Viagogo?
The L20 has more headroom and although it works nicely in a bedroom, you might find it to be a bit too loud. The Studio is great and should fit your needs. I don’t think it’s available in combo though.
I got the L5 Studio on a whim and it is fantastic. Heaps of great features too.
I also tried out the settings you use for your L20 Bjorn, and they actually make for a good pedal platform.
Was just wondering your reasoning behind turning on the bright switch and turning off tone?
Thank you Bjorn,
Huy
It seems to work with my pedals. The tone opens up for too much brightness, I think. That’s the only drawback with this amp. I wish it would either allow more fine tuning or, that they’d change the frequency range to 5-6k like the Hiwatts. Engaging the bright mode and rolling back the tone gives you a similar effect, with a more balanced high end but more presence. I’m mainly using the gain channel for more mids, with the gain all the way down to point 1 and the volume pretty high. That boosts the output section for a fatter tone.
I tried your settings and they really are the best platform for pedals.
Now that the speaker is finally breaking in the amp sounds so good Bjorn. I can even get a kind of Fender overdrive tone by having the gain on 9oclock and the volume on 2:30 oclock and pushing it abit more with the Wampler plexidrive (tried using the buffalo TD-X but it’s too dark).
This gives me a massive flabby (in a good way) low end and a jangly harsh pick attack (again in a good way). Very happy with the amp as this is like THE Blues tone that I personally love. Like a cross between SRV and Peter Green.
Awesome!
I had an L5 combo in bedroom setup, and while it was really nice something (headroom?) seemed to be missing. Exchanged it for an L20 combo and couldn’t be happier. Awesome amp.
You don’t find it to be too loud for a bedroom?
Not for me … of course, I can always set volume on about 2 and adjust levels on pedals if need be. I generally run it at about 4 or 5 without issue. I don’t have any neighbors to worry about.
Hello Bjorn, I have already learned a lot from reading on this website, it’s a treasure on the interwebs ! Thanks for all the effort you put in to this…
I have a queston, I own a fender Princeton 68 Vintage Modigied amp, its 12 watts and starts to break up at 4 or 5. That is in my home office/practice room way too loud for my ears , so my question is if I don’t want to use an attenuator can I change things to my room so that i can play the amp louder without destroying my hearing?
I ask this beacause in the guitar shop I was able to play this amp at 5 and even 7 so have you any advice for me?
Thanks in advance, Heidi
Thanks for your kind words, Heidi :) Since volume is an issue, I assume you use the amp for gain? Otherwise you can just turn it down and use pedals :) Anyway, for that slight cruncy clean or distortion, there are different solutions available. Some place their amp in a locker, with mattresses and blankets covering it. There are also isolation cabinets available, but they require some space and they’re fairly expensive. You can also use a volume pedal but that will attenuate the gain also, if you rely on that. The most effective and cheapest way of handling volume is to use pedals for dirt or an attenuator.
Hi Bjorn! I just bought the Laney CUB12r combo. Its sound is nice but maybe i have to change the speaker, maybe a Celestion G12h 70th Anniversary 8 Ohms? Will i notice the difference? I’m playing at bedroom.
Anyway, late night I have to play with headphones. It seems that the Cub12r don’t have an output headphone jack (I searched on internet somehow, and nothing). But!! Then I plugged the headphone to the “External Speakers” jack and IT WORKS!! only one side of the headphone speakers. Do you know somehow to properly plug it to the CUB? and to works well? Thanks!!! =D
I’m currently using Celestion V30s in my Cub cabinet and they sound great. It’s an open back cab, which can make the V30s soound a bit flabby but you shouldn’t have any problems in a small bedroom/living room. You get only one side since the output is mono. I’m not sure about the load though… I wouldn’t do it… at least check with someone who knows more about these things than I. You don’t want to blow anything :)
Hi Bjorn,
I allow myself to jump on that post ! :)
If I want to upgrade my Cub12r combo with Celestion V30, to I have to buy a 8 or a 16 Ohm ?
Many thanks in advance for your answer.
Best regards,
David.
Hi David! I think the stock speaker is 8 Ohm, so go with that :)
Hi Bjorn, I am ready to purchase one of the amps of the Lionheart series. I have been really happy with the cub head for about 4 years now but I feel is time to kick it to next level now. But I am undecided on which one to get : the L5 combo or the L20 combo? I play in a medium size garage and the cub’s 15 watt input is loud enough for my ears. I figured since I am spending so much on a pristine amp I don’t want to miss out on L20 if is a better choice of the two. I know you have the L20 head but have you ever played the L5. If so is there any difference in headroom and tone. I have a pedal board with about 8 in chain. The difference between the two is L5 packs 1 el84 while the L20 has 4 el84. Don’t know if that makes a difference. Thank you for having the best site in the Internet! You are awesome!!
Hi Denis, sorry for my very late reply. I’d go for the L20. You get the same tone as the L5 but much more headroom, which you will need using many pedals. The L5 is a great bedroom amp and it’s quite loud but the L20 will give you more to play with and be a great amp if you decide on playing live on stage as well :)
Hey Bjorn I’ve been trying to hunt down a hiwatt t20 head for some time now (practically impossible to find in Canada) and I’ve been trying to decide if I should keep trying or move on and get the cub12 head instead. I’ve heard some people say that the tone of the t20 is somewhat dull and flat and that the drive is just too fizzy. How comparable is the sound of the cub12 head and the t20 and would it be worth it tonewise to hunt down and pay more for the hiwatt compared to the easier to find laney cub? I know the cub sounds great but I’m not sure how these two amps compare to each other.
Thanks.
The Cub is closer to a Marshall, with lots of mids and quite a lot of compression for that smooth breakup. The T20, although perhaps not as good sounding as the Custom series, does produce the Hiwatt tone. I think the reason why some complain is that they either expect it to sound just like the Custom heads or, they forget that a Hiwatt is a fairly flat and neutral sounding amp that needs volume to really open up. These amps will give you a nice basis for most pedals, but they will sound even flatter and more fizzy (if you want it to distort on its own) on bedroom levels.
Thanks for the help. Il still try to hunt the hiwatt for another while but if it proves too difficult Il probably go for the laney. I know the laney doesn’t quite have the same clean headroom for gigging as the hiwatt due to only having one channel so I’d still prefer the hiwatt, but il keep my eye out for the t20.
Thanks for the help.
Hi Bjorn, I have a couple questions I’d like to ask. What’s your opinion on the Vox AC15? How do you think it would compare to something like the Fender Blues Jr, with Gilmour’s tones in mind of course, but also as a versatile amp?
And also, do you have an opinion or preference between the Fender Blues Jr 2, and the Fender Blues Jr 3? I believe the 3 is the regular stock model that is commonly sold new in stores, but I’ve heard some people say that they think the 2 is better. Do you have an opinion, or know of any noticeable difference?
Hi Adam, see this feature for my opinion on the Vox. I haven’t A/B tested the BJR 2 and 3 so I can’t tell.
Thank’s for your response. Well, I bought a Reeves Custom 12 PS for $770 shipped (in the US), will report on it next week when I receive it. After reading reviews and watching demo’s, I decided that between the $369 of the Cub 12R head and the under $800 Reeves, that latter was a better piece of kit and the variable power scaling would make the amp more “tuneable” to my practice space (a large double-height studio space but with neighbors on one side, unfortunately). Tone-wise, we will see. I might still get a Cub head and compare and see which to keep but your own comments lead me to assume that the 12 is in the “Hiwatt ballpark” ? . I’m a bit surprised that being an owner of a Reeve’s that you wouldn’t have preferred the Custom 6 or 12 over the Cub12R head. Do you think the Cub is a better “scaled-down” version of a Hiwatt than the Custom 12PS?
The Reeves is no doubt a much better amp, both tonally and build, compared to the Laney. I rarely use the Custom 50 anymore but I have lots of different amp and usually keep some smaller, cheaper ones in my home recording studio just for convenience.
How about with Fender Princeton Reverb Silverface reissue? Thoughts on this amp?
Great sounding amp with a classic Fender tone. Great for recording as well.
Yeah, it sounds great. A little pricey but I think I’m gonna settle in on that. I moved and now need to downsize. Thanks for your input. I’ve read through your website and you really seem to know your stuff. It’s hard to find good info from people. You can ask the same question from 10 people and get 12 different answers sometimes but you seem to really know your stuff.
Thanks for your kind words :)
Hi Bjorn! Great information here. I have a question about pairing a Colorsound with a low wattage amp such as the 1W Laney Cub that you mention. You mention that the Colorsound requires a lot of volume to really sound full, and that playing it at a softer volume won’t bring out the true sound we are all looking for. But I am not sure if I follow completely. If you play the 1W Laney input and crank it up, wouldn’t you be pushing the tubes, and thus helping the Colorsound? Thanks for all of your hard work to provide such a great site and reviews!
Well, yes kind of. Volume attenuation is often used in amps to allow the guitarist to get that tube distortion, or saturation, without playing loud. You can the set Cub for 1w and raise the gain until you hear the clean tone almost start to break up. That will give you a nice punchy basis for the Colorsound and your tones in general. However, to really get that warm and smooth tone from the pedal, you need a bit of speaker compression as well, and obviously you won’t get that on low volume. You can compensate to some extent by pushing the amp as described above, adding a clean booster after the Colorsound and perhaps also, a compressor in front of it. Mind that the pedal also needs a bit of mid range to smooth out that otherwise spiky top.
Thanks for the info Bjorn,
PS – Can’t wait for you to tour with Airbag Down-Under :-)
That would be something :)
fwiw….I just read a post on some forum where a guy with a Hiwatt needing speakers installed Weber Thames as Fane-clones but it didn’t wuite nail the original tone (he said it was close but not spot-on) but then said that he tried the Peavey Sheffield and it was much closer-sounding to the original Fanes that he once had before.
Greetings from Australia Bjorn!
I was wondering your thoughts on the Hiwatt Signature Series Little D Rig?
I’m specifically using it for bedroom levels and currently have a Laney Cub12R but can’t seem to get those David Gilmour tones I’m looking for…
Hi Bryan! I have commented on the Little D before and know that some people here has first hand experience with it. It’s a Hiwatt with the classic tone and everything you can expect in terms of David’s tones. However, and this is what I’ve commented on, it’s got nothing to do with Gilmour and he has not endorsed it in any way. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t buy it but Hiwatt is marketing it as THE Gilmour amp, which it ain’t.
I was wondering how you feel about any of the Vox amps. I know they are known for a cleaner sound but I found one in my budget.
To be honest, my experience with Vox is only the AC15 and 30 and the Night Train. Not a huge fan of Vox but they’re obviously classics and you can get some nice Gilmour tones with them. Keep in mind though that they don’t have a lot of mid range, unless you really crank the living hell out of them so you might want to use more mids oriented overdrives and distortions, rather than the typical fuzz, Muff and Coloursound-ish overdrives.
Thanks for you info
Hey Bjorn,
I’m looking at getting a Laney Lionheart H20, and was wondering whether you recommend a 2×12 cab with G12-H Anniversary speakers or the V30’s. Both cabs I’m looking at (H&K Tubemeister 2×12 and Laney Lionheart 2×12) are closed back and the cab with V30’s is $100 more than the the one with G12-h Anniversary’s. In your demos lately (which are great, loved the Boonar video review!) I’ve noticed you use the Laney H20 with a 2×12 with V30’s, and the tone sounds nothing short of amazing.
Thanks for all you do, this site and your work has been a Godsend in my tone quest for that Pompeii-WYWH tone.
David
Thank you David! I’m using the Lionheart 2×12 cab but I replaced the stock G12H 70th Anniversary with V30s. Obviously, very different from David’s high wattage Fane speakers, which has more headroom and an overall brighter tone, but I’m more into a darker rock tone these days and I think it works nicely with David’s tones as well.
What do you think about the Marshall JTM 30, and the DSL series? Would this be good for his 80’s and 90’s tones?
They all got a nice classic Marshall tone. The JTM perhaps more than the DSL. Marshall might not be the ultimate Gilmour amp but these models that you’re referring to has a nice clean tone, with a nice amount of mid range, which is what you want for those smooth tones. Goes well with most Gilmour pedals but you might need to tweak the amp differently compared to a Fender or Hiwatt. Having said that, you can’t really beat the versatility of a Marshall :)
hi Bjorn,
As you know, I have a Laney irt studio with a cabinet from peavey 6505+112 combo, which loaded a 12” Sheffield Speaker, did you have hear about this speaker? is this the one to use for DG’s Tone?
Never tried it. Do you have the specs?
sorry, the speaker has no label on the back, but it seems the Peavey Sheffield 1200 12″ 16 Ohm Guitar Speaker, and I found a file on peavey.com : http://assets.peavey.com/literature/specs/115305_14066.pdf, hope this can help.
It would be very nice to know your take on some transistor amps, like the Peavey Bandit, for example. Thanks for sharing!
I don’t really have that much experience with transistor amps really. I used to have a couple but I’m really more into tube amps. A few years back that was regarded as snobbery but you can get a great sounding tube amp these days for a fraction of the price and not much more expensive than a transistor so it’s really more down to taste, rather than budget. My opinion is that tube amps has more character and are more dynamic towards the pedals, pickups and your playing. Transistor amps are more consistent and you can depend on it delivering the same tone in any environment.I haven’t tried the Bandit so I can’t really comment on it.
Hi Bjorn!
What do you think about the Fender 57′ Champ reissue. A guy is selling one for 700€ here in France I absolutely love this amp however it is really expensive and the thing is I do not play in a band (only for bedroom usage) do you think it is a good opportunity ? Also do you think I can easily get the sound of Gilmour with it ? I’m currently playing a Epiphone Casino and i’m looking for the sound of beginning of Gilmour era (A Saucerful of Secrets etc.) Otherwise I will probably go buy a Laney Cube 12 which sounds great with a fuzz pedal. Let me know.
Thanks so much for this website.
Hi! I don’t really have that much experience with the 57 Champ but obviously, having only a volume control and normal/bright input, it has its limitations. You might find it hard to dial in those smooth Big Muff tones etc, but a RAT, OCD or similar sounding pedals would get you close. A fine amp no doubt and you will be able to nail most of David’s tones with it but it depends on how accurate you want to sound.
Hi Watt All the way,… but for budget minded people, there are the Bugera amps that are just killer!!! I have the V55 which is the same as the fist combo featured here but with more power and it’s the head rather than a combo and I also use the ridiculously loud but amazing 333. I got two of those amps for less than 200 dlls each… the clean channel sounds as good as any other I’ve played… specially after putting new JJ tubes in there,… they are 100 watts but even in my bedroom with a good Xotic Sp compressor and pedals it sounds absolutely amazing live or in my studio… Buy Bugera, buy tone not the name!!!
Hi Bjorn!
I am very curious to have your opinion (again ;)) : I want to replace my Ibanez TSA15 for something more… vintage and British, I was thinking of the Hiwatt T serie but it seems quite hard to find them, I thought about a Cub but I’m not sure about the building quality and then I saw your comment about the Lionheart L5T. It looks like a good quality amp. I need a nice warm clean tone to go with my Gilmourish effects and vintage fuzz, it’s an amp I’ll use only for recording at low level and I won’t trying to make the clean channel crunch as my lead sounds come from pedals. Do you think it’s a good choice? Many thanks!!
Definitely. My main recording amp is a Lionheart L20 so yeah, warmly recommended and great for Gilmour’s tones.
I’m in same situation as Anaon. I actually just sent an L5T 112 combo back, though, because I felt it was missing just a tiny bit of headroom. Do you think the L20 is too much for a bedroom amp? Neighbors are not an issue. Here’s what I’m considering:
1) LT20 head and 112 or 212 cabinet
2) L5T head and 112 or 212 cabinet
Laney L5 combo was pretty awesome, so I know I love the tone. Which option do you think would best fit my circumstances and give me the little push I feel I need without blowing out my ear drums?
I’d get the Reeves Custom 50 for the vintage Hiwatt tone if I thought it would work better than other options at bedroom levels.
For reference, I also play (mostly a signature Strat but also a Tele Select) through the clean channel of Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue. Volume set at 4 sounds wonderful … more than that, not so much.
All insights greatly appreciated.
As long as you’ll be running the amp clean then the L20 would fit a bedroom perfectly. Even at the lowest volume levels, it sounds balanced and handle pedals well. Volume becomes an issue if you want to crank it, as there are no power scaling. I’d get the 212 cab.
Thank you so much Bjorn!! I found a second hand L5T made in UK (recent models are made in China and have a different speaker and reverb, slightly different amp), I think I will have to change the tubes as it has never been done but the sound is already great! Very different from my Ibanez TSA15! Thank you Bjorn because I didn’t know this Lionheart range from Laney at all, I don’t like blue but… Only sound matters ;)
Cheers!
Thanks for the reply Bjorn. I’ve spent the last week tweaking knobs and playing with pedals. As you say, made a big difference, even toggled to half a watt. By headroom, I guess I meant that the L5 sounded a little constricted to my ears rather than expansive. Sounds great now, but I do wonder if I might add an Lt112 cab for stereo effect.
Hi Bjorn. I have a few questions regarding Laney Cub 12 and Lionheart L5T-112.
1. Which one would you recommend as being more neighbor friendly?I know Cub has 1W output so maybe it is better suitable for home? I’ve also seen Lionheart 5W head and it has 0.5W output but I’m not sure if it is the same amp as L5T-112, and it is more expensive alternative…
2. You said that Cub has more Gilmourish character, than Lionheart which is something between Vox and Fender… Can Lionheart even produce Gilmourish clean? I’ve heard some You tube demos, and it seems as a very versatile amp, but to my ear it isn’t very Gilmourish although it has very sweet sound.
3. If you had to choose only one, between these two, which one would it be and why (but I think I already know the answer to this one :-D )?
All the best!
Jova
Hi Jova :) My main stage and recording amp these days is the Lionheart L20 head and cab. The amp sounds phenomenal and I couldn’t be happier with it. Perhaps not the typical Gilmour amp – only Hiwatt and certain Fenders are – but I have no problem tweaking it for Gilmour tones and anything else that I want. Extremely versatile and the clean tone is beautiful. Please check out my YouTube channel and watch all my gear reviews from the last couple of years… that’s the Lionheart. The 5w is the same amp only with lower wattage and perhaps a tad less headroom but again, the same amp. Mind though that there’s nothing Fender about it. It’s a cross between a Vox AC30 and early 70s Marshall. The Cub is very different and closer to a Hiwatt meets Marshall. It’s darker, with more mids. I would no doubt go for the Lionheart.
Hello Bjorn! Great blog. What do you think of the new Fender Bassbreaker series? i’m thinking in buying the 007 for home use when they come to europe
Thanks Daniel! I haven’t tried it so I can’t really tell. They do sound nice based on the reviews but again… I really don’t know.
What would you pick between a fender blues junior and a laney cub combo for a bedroom amp that could be used for small venues/ which is more versatile? cheers
Both sound great but it depends on what tones you want. They do sound very different. The Fender is no doubt a better amp quality and build wise…
Hey Bjorn.
I got a Hot Rod Deluxe III based on your suggestion here a couple of years ago, and it’s a great amp with plenty of clean headroom. Brilliant advice on your part, so thank you.
The HRD is a bit heavy for lugging around to practice sessions regularly, though, and a bit too loud for a bedroom amp. So, I’ve been thinking of getting myself a Laney Cub 12R. I was considering getting the combo, as that would be less bulky, less expensive and more travel friendly than the stack. But, I just noticed you said the stack would offer more head room.
What makes the stack have more head room? Is the head of the stack not the exact same as the head on the combo?
Thanks for all the solid information over the years,
Adrian.
Sorry for my late reply. First of all, and as I’m sure you know, the Laney is a very different amp compared to the Fender. More a Marshall, meets a Hiwatt and Vox. As British as it gets. A stack, with it’s two speakers, has the same amp distributing the same output to two speakers so you can push them harder than just the one speaker.
Hey Bjorn,
Thanks for the reply.
What I might do is get the combo for travelling with, and down the road get the cab. Then I could plug the combo into the cab and have the headroom at home for recording, etc.
Think plugging the combo into the cab would sound the same as plugging the head into it?
All the best,
Adrian.
I guess so although I haven’t tried it. Does the combo have a speaker out jack?
It does, I think. Though, interestingly it’s different to the head which seems to have two outputs (8 & 16 ohms). The combo looks like it only has one output for both.
Hi Bjorn? Have you ever tried the Hiwatt Little D? If yes, what do you think about it?? :)
I haven’t but I have commented on it several times on this site. Judging by the specs it seems like a nice amp and I’m sure it it. You should be able to nail most of David’s tones with it depending on what pedals you use :) Keep in mind though, that despite what Hiwatt wants you to believe, the amp has nothing to do with David Gilmour. He has not endorsed it and they have not used his amps for the design.
I have it, with a FANE AXA loaded 1×12 WEM “mini”cab. The project was very slow and complecated, and pricey, how to get it.. The amp itself is nice, almost the same sounding as my HIWATT CUSTOM DG 212. Very nice midrange, great headroom, handling muffs very well! The 0,5 W option is very loud, 3 times louder then the LANEY CUB head on 1 W setting. The amp has the cheapest Chinese pots, I have ever seen, especially the Presence dos not do its job properly.
Depends on, what you need? The spirit of Dave Reeves is there, but for a price..I would not purchase it again, I would go for a HIWATT Custom20 head with the original specs.( when the HIWATT logo means )
Thanks a lot Gabor! :)
Thanks a lot, Bjorn! If I try it I’ll tell you how it sounds!
Hey..first time posting here. So much experience and knowledge accumulated! Here goes mu question: I’ve been building my DG tone around a vintage Blond 1963 Fender Bandmaster (2×12 piggy, 6L6 30W). I also have the possibility of borrowing/having a Crate V30 (blonde Palomino, 4xEL84 + 1×12 Celestion). Would the Crate V30 get me closer to a Hiwatt kind of midrangey tone as compared to my Bandmaster? My guitar is a 2010 Road Worn 60’s Strat (nitro, 3 color burst) with 2 CS69’s and an SSL5 in the bridge. Any suggestion in regards to that V30 amp for the DG tone thang?
Hi Gerry! I haven’t tried the Crate so I can’t really comment on it. From what I’ve read it’s perhaps closer to a Marshall but again, I don’t really know. The Bandmaster is nice amp and works great for David’s sounds. Both amps should do well so it’s more a matter of what pedals you use with them. Then Crate is perhaps better with the typical Gilmour pedals like Muffs and Tube Driver (and similar sounding clones), while the Fender might need more mid rangy pedals like OCD, RAT, Tube Screamer etc…
Hey Bjorn: I’ve been looking to get “closer” to the Hiwatt tone/sound and came across the Reeves Custom 10 and Custom 12 with the “power scaling” option. Both are at or under $1,000US new, $600/$800 used in mint condition.
Do you have any thoughts an these lower-output Reeves amp heads and would one be more “gilmourish” than the other?
BTW I just put togther a 212 cabinet with a J-Design custom cab (kind of Vox 212 design but with Hiwattish grey grill cloth and piping) with a Vintage 30 + 1980’s 50W Fane I found on locally here in California (White lable with horizontal line graphics under the FANE logo). Best/Gerry
The Custom 10 is pretty much based on the classic Marshall tone, so although you can dial in some nice Gilmour tones with it, its not typical or something I would recommend. The Custom 12 is kind of in between a Marshall and Hiwatt, with more headroom and a nice amount of mids, but again, somewhere in between. Of the two, I guess the 12 is the way to go.
Hi Bjorn.
I have a hiwatt t20, and i like it, compare to a blues junior, there is more mids, and it stay clean more long time.
But i find that the crunch ,when i boost it (with banana boost 9v) a little to dry.
Have you some infos about a brand or a type of tube to make the amp a little more round and fatty?
There is ruby tube at this time.
Thank you for all your work.
Sorry for my late reply. Don’t know what you mean by dry but the Hiwatt amps has more mid range so they do sound more direct, with more presence and perhaps not as soft or smooth as a Fender. They’re two different amps really. I’m not sure what speaker you have but changing it for something warmer can do a difference. I’m using JJ Electronic tubes, which I think adds a nice punch but also warmth. Obviously, it also depends on your amp settings, the pickups and guitar you use and the other pedals you use with he Bananaboost.
Hi Bjorn,
Over the years I have taken your advice. Peavey Classic 30, have a AC30HW and found a used Swart AST a nice boutique tweed style amp. Really a nice sounding amp and has been my main amp. But the other day I was at a music store looking for a new amp that may be more like the HK Tubemeister 18. Well they had a used Hiwatt Custom 20 head. I played it and knew I had to have it. Bought a 112 cab by Dr. Z and got it home. I have finally found that tone. It was incredible the tone I was getting with my pedals. The Musket just rocks. I have a Sovtek as well and running those through the Hiwatt gets me any Gilmour tone I want. Tried the TS808 with a Soul Food and my chorus and was getting On An Island tones. The 20 works great in the bedroom was getting fantastic tones even at low levels. Just wanted to share with others. If you can find a Hiwatt Custom 20 get it. Clean and simple amp that just eats anything you throw at it.
Thanks for all your hard work on this site. First class operation.
Rob
Glad to hear, Rob :)
Hi Bjorn! Thank you so much for everything man! You´re an amazing person doing all of this research! It’s incredible! I actually bought the Laney L5T-112 they are 600€ which is basically 650$ here in Portugal. The thing is… I have a Marshall MG50DFX (solid state 50W amp) and after 10 days playing with the Laney I found that the Marshall sounds like 10 times better… It is really hard for me to get a nice sound with the Laney… I mean eventually I can get an okay sound but still not as good as the marshall (using mostly the clean channel without any pedals) . The thing is with the Laney either I get a ridiculously bright sound that hurts your ears or I get a muddy sound like the sound you get when you roll your guitars tone control. I literally put them side by side and you can get an instant awesome sound from the Marshall but have to work your ass of to get a nice clean sound! shouldn’t a 650$ tube amp sound good? cheers mate!
Hi Tiago, sorry for my very late reply… They’re just two different sounding amps. Marshall are known for being very plug-and-play kind of amps and you should have no problem getting a decent tone from them. The Lionheart is a class A tube amp, two channels and a much more demanding amp, in terms of you having to really explore its potential to make it sound the way you want it. Keep in mind also that amps do sound different. The Lionheart is not a Marshall and it might very well be the case that the Lionheart isn’t for you. I love it and couldn’t be happier with it. I can’t really tell you anything else than to consider them as two very different amps and that you continue to experiment with the Lionheart. Don’t try to make one sound like the other.
I mainly use the gain channel and the bright switch engaged. Set the drive between 1 and 2 and the volume as desired. Set the bass at 6 and the middle all the way up, with the treble around 3 or 4 depending on how bright your pickups are and the tone all the way down. This should be a good start for a punchy clean tone and a basis for most of your pedals. The louder you play, the lower you want the tone. If you keep the volume barely above zero, then you might want to raise the tone to 2 or 3, Hope this helped.
The L5T-112 for 600€? That’s a hell of a bargain! Where did you get it, mate?
Hey Mate! It was 599€ at Thomann but after I returned it… it when back to 799€ :( I guess I should have tried to sell it instead of returning it! Maybe they had the wrong pricing on the web site
4 years ago you tested pedals on the Reeves and the Cub, but now on the Lionheart instead, as I see in your pedals’ reviews.
The Lionheart and Cub are considered the low wattage amps, as you mention in pedals’ ratings? Or something in-between and with low you mean e.g. a Cub10 and an L5combo?
Also, any experience with Jet City jca20hv, with the 2×12 vintage30 cab? Not many sound samples, but seems a nice British voiced amp and I much appreciate the cab (compared to the CubCab). Appealing price, too!
One last thing. It is said, that boosters (rangemaster, ep booster, coloursound pb) make the signal bigger, so to make the amp distort, though if you crank them they clip in some level too. Also I hear many people refering to mid scooped OD pedals, as boosters. In case of the VA Overdriver, which others say it’s an OD pedal, others say it’s a booster, what is the case? With the drive knob you set its own clipping, and if you raise its volume, you make the amp’s preamp distort as well?
Sorry for my late reply, Dimitris. The Lionheart is more of a Vox AC30 meets early Marshall, while the Cub has more of a Marshall/Hiwatt kind of tone, with more mid range and an overall darker tone. Both are low wattage bedroom type of amps, although the Lionheart L20 is definitely big enough for medium sized venues.
I guess “boost” can be used to describe different pedals and applications but I think what it refers to are those early pedals, like the treble boosters and the Powerbooster, which aren’t fuzz but rather transparent frequency and volume boosters than were designed to drive amps into distortion. The more modern sounding Tube Driver, Boss BD2 and even the Tube Screamer can also be used to boost, which David Gilmour, Steve Ray Vaughn etc does/did but they can also produce overdrive on their own and are often used as overdrive pedals on cleaner amps.
Bjorn… Resuming….
.
Laney 20h x hiwatt custom 20…
.
What in your opinion is the best. I know that the custom Hiwatt is much more expensive than the Laney … but this price is justified?
That’s two very different sounding amps so it depends on what you’re looking for. Both are versatile amps, they can handle pretty much any pedal and they can do smaller venues. The Laney is kind of a mix between a Vox AC30 and an early low gain Marshall, while the Hiwatt has a tone of its own. I think the Laney is perhaps the most versatile of the two but the Hiwatt is perhaps the most Gilmourish.
Any comments about Monoprice’s 15 watt (3x 12ax7)+(2x EL84) + 1×12 Celestion speaker tube amp @ half the price of a Blues Jr.?
Haven’t tried it so I can’t really tell.
David which input used in his HIWATT in 1971, normal input or bright input?
…. on a fender hot rod deluxe which input i have to use for Pompeii tones, I have a face fuzz hendrix bc108
As far as my research goes, he didn’t link the inputs until the Wall tour in 1979. Before then, he only used the normal input.
Hi bjorn, I have a Vox AC10C1 amp and I can’t seem to get a decent gilmour guitar sound out of it and I was wondering if maybe you could help me solve this problem. I use a fender road worn 50s strat with a proco rat 2, Vick audio 73 rams head, mooer elec. lady, and and EHX crayon overdrive.
What do you feel is missing? Hard to give you a specific answer but in general, Vox amps doesn’t have a lot of mid range, which is needed for those smooth sustained tones. Your RAT should do the job but Big Muffs and cleans might sound a bit harsh. You can compensate for some of the lack of mids by rolling off the bass and treble but not so much that you lose all the character in the tone. You can also try to add an EQ and boost the frequencies around 400-1000Hz. Pedals like the RAT, Tube Screamer and other mids oriented pedals should also be a better choice than Big Muffs and the typical Gilmour pedals.
Hello Bjorn, I’d like to know if you ‘d consider to make a full review about the Laney Lionheart L5 – Studio. Would you recommend it for home practice?
Is it really similar to the L20 – Head ? Will I get the same tone with the JJ tubes fitted inside?
regards,
Uwe
I don’t own a L5 so I can’t do a review… unless I spend a few hours with it in a shop. I will do a review of my L20 at some point though. I love that amp. It’s the same amp but the smaller cab makes them sound somewhat different… as the lower wattage. They serve different applications. I think mine came with TAD tubes, which I replaced with JJs… as I always do. The amp sounds a bit smoother and punchier now.
Hey Bjorn! I’m looking for a new head for gigging with at least 40-50 watts for a clean gilmourish sound. However all my local dealers only stock Marshall, Fender and a few Blackstar amps. Should I go Marshall or Fender? Some of the videos of people trying to get a Gilmour tone out of a blues junior have sounded pretty harsh, especially with a muff. Any nice Fender or Marshall heads out there that can take demanding pedals like the muff easily and are at least 40-50 watts? Thanks heaps mate!
For Muffs and fuzz, to get David’s tone, you would need an amp with lots of mid range. I guess, between the ones you’ve mentioned, Marshall would be your best choice but obviously, Fenders like a Bassman or even some of the typical blues amps should do the job nicely. The Blues Jr is harsh but you can easily replace the stock speakers with someone darker and get a really nice amp.
Happy December, Christmas everybody!
I am waiting my VickAudio Overdriver to be delivered any time this week, but it’s not the anticipation as for other pedals I’ve got some time ago. I feel that something is already missing…
4 months now I play a great Strat through a Cub10. Loud for home practise, but in my new band’s studio HAS to be played through a 2×12 cab, but still doesnt blow me away. Driven (gain up to punchy, volume turned way up), or clean with fuzz sounds just OK. It lacks some of the dynamics and mojo I ‘ve noticed on the Lionheart 5combo, which I’ve owned but sadly had to give away. For studio use,
1. How do you think the L5combo would stand with a 6men band?
2. Will it handle BC109, Overdriver etc?
3. Should I look for Cub 15, cause L20head is too loud?
Also something technical.
1. When you turn the volume on non master amps(lionhearts, fenders, early marshalls), you drive the power amp, or both pre and power amp?
2. You ‘ve said in earlier replies that 12″ speakers are better than 10″, if you use pedals, am I right? Why so?
Hi Dimitris, sorry for my late reply.
1. Depending on how loud you play, I think you’d have a hard time hearing it over the drums. The L20 is a better option.
2. Yes but again, it’s loud enough for home practice but not with a band.
3. The L20 is definitely a better and more versatile amp so if you can afford it, then I strongly recommend it!
4. The interaction between the volume controls depends on the design of the amp, how many channels it’s got etc but in general, the master volume is what the name implies, – a control that controls the total amount of volume from the amp. The channel or main volume will control the amount of signal that is fed into the pre stage of your amp and subsequently into the power or output stage. The more you crank this, the more distortion you’ll get from the pre stage but the louder the amp will sound as well. The master acts like an attenuator, allowing tube distortion, with less volume and speaker distortion. By adjusting the volume and master volume accordingly, you can get more of the output stage and less of the pre stage, meaning more headroom and a cleaner, fuller tone.
5. 12″ speakers has a bigger tone and more headroom.
Please, have you already considered test a Roland JC-120?
Not for the site but I have nothing bad to say about that amp. Classic and it can handle pedals very well.
I’m running that stock Laney L20T-410 alongside a very good 59 Bassman LTD that’s been re-tubed with 5881’s and a 5R4, both amps are powered by a variac @ -17VAC to keep the B+ down. I can run this setup either quite loud or very quiet, and it is providing studio quality classic rock tones with an extensive all analog pedalboard across the volume range.
Maybe it’s the Jensen 10’s but I prefer the bright switch off on the Lionheart and the master tone fully clockwise: Input High, Clean, Bright Off, Bass Full, Mid Full, Treb 6, Tone Full
Nice warm real authentic tones without ever getting fizzy or harsh, even when I take Sorrow tone over the top… ;-) Getting lots of compliments from folks who don’t share our musical taste too.
I can imagine the tone improving a bit when I get around to re-tubing the Laney, but for a NIB, dead stock 20w amp it sounds pretty damn good and I’ve got 8-10″ speakers in open back cabs swirling in glorious pseudo-stereo.
Hi Bjorn!, another question, would a bugera v55 head (that has an impedance switch for the speaker cab) go well with the laney cub 2×12 extension cab?
I would imagine so.
Bjorn do you think the Vox AC15 is a good amp? Or are there better ones on this price and wattage range?
It’s a very nice amp but perhaps not that ideal for replicating David’s tones, if that’s your goal. You would need one with more mid range or something closer to what he’s using. My best tip is the Laney Cub series. Great sounding amps!
I have got a Fender frontman 15r for practice at home, What setting do you recommend for the use with my fuzz (jimi hendrix fuzz face)?…. mid, treble and bass?
Check out this feature for some amp set up tips.
that feature only help when you have a valve amp :(
Things have change a lot over the last decade. Tube amps used to be for people with money to burn but now you can get great sounding tube amps, with classic tones, for a fraction of the price. Still, there are lots of great sounding solid state amps out there as well. Doesn’t really matter what you own as long as you like the tone and that the amp compliments your guitar and pedals.
Hi Bjorn! I’m in the market for a new amplifier, I’m after Gilmour tones obviously but I also want to really nail that classic Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Johnson fender tube screamer type sound too. Should I get a nice Fender amp or look more towards a Laney or Hiwatt? Cheers mate!
I’d probably stay away from Hiwatt as you may find it hard to dial in Johnson and Vaughan. A Fender Bassman or, if you can track one down, a Bassman 100 head, or a Marshall JTM. You may also want to look into the Lionhearts. They’re kind of a mix between a AC30 (clean channel) and a Marshall Bluesbreaker, although the amp has a lot more to offer.
Hey Bjorn, in your opinion, what is better, the Fender hot rod deluxe or hot rod deville 4×10/2×12
Oh… depends on what tone you want. They’re not that far from each other, being two Fenders but my best tip is to bring your guitar to your local dealer and just try them. Most shops carry these. For the most headroom, as I assume you’ll be using pedals, I’d go with 12″ speakers.
Bjorn,
I just came across a Laney LH50 head and 410 cab for 400 US dollars. I have listened to numerous Laney demos, but always the Lion heart and cub. How is this model? I know the price is very good, but how does it compare to those other models. It would be used as a gigging amp.
Thanks!!
Chad
I’m using a LH20 myself and I couldn’t be happier. One of the coolest sounding amps I’ve played. They’re based on the Vox AC30 but they’re much more than that. The gain channel reminds me of those early Marshall amps, with a nice amount of mids and warm breakup. Very dynamic and responsive to your playing and it can handle pedals very well.
Bjorn,
I got caught up and very busy and never saw your reply and unfortunately missed out on this one. I am currently looking at a Marshall class 5 combo that I came across at a great price. It seams as if it would be good for home use with the low output mode. Any thoughts? Also, I am finally going the see the man himself live at MSG in April. My cousin scored us 4th row seats! I couldn’t be more excited, although I am going to see Steven Wilson again a few weeks prior and that show is one of the best I have seen period!
The Class 5 has some nice classic tones but I’ve tried a few of those and each were really crappy made. I’ve no idea if that’s the common opinion out there but I was very disappointed. I recommend checking into the Laney L5 instead. Not quite the same but definitely similar. Enjoy the show!
Hey, Bjorn…I have the vox vt40, but I want to buy a new amp…so, I’m doubt between the fender blues jr and Hiwatt T20.. What do you consider better for the gilmour’s tones… And to play at home, pubs, churchs….?
Hiwatt T20.
Have you tried the Laney vc-15 Combo with the 1×10.
If so, How does it compare with the Lionheart?
They’re somewhat similar, as they’re both based on the AC30. The VC15 is kind of Laney’s version of that amp, while the Lionheart is a mix between the AC30 and an early Marshall, although much more versatile than that.
I took a gamble and bought a vc-15. Found a really cheap used one.
I Love it! May not be the ideal Gilmour amp but still great.
I use it as My Livingroom amp. I’ve tried blackstars HT-5, but this one to me is more usefull at low volumes despite its 15 watts. The blackstar was way loud and hard to play at lower volumes.
Is it just a better quality amp or is it the smaller 10″ speaker that makes it easier to drive at low volume?
Anyway I have learned not to stare myself blind at wattage.
I’ve tried a couple of amps ranging from 1 – 15 watt. And this one is the best livingroom amp so far. (Should note that some of the amps have been cheaper ones).
Your website have been a great source of information to me.
Kind regards, Nils
They’re two different sounding amps so obviously you found one that fits your taste and style better :) Amps are often considered as something to provide volume but it’s really the second most important unit in your rig, after the guitar. I always recommend that you get the best guitar and amp that you can afford and worry about the pedals later. No pedal will sound great if you don’t like the amp :)
Hi Björn.
I have a question about master volume amps. I’m sure my answer is already on the internet somewhere.
My question is:
What makes the volume “master” volume?
the presence of a gain control or presence of channel volume + mastervolume?
Is master volume when you have a channel volume and a separate master volume? (i.e. 2 volume controls( + eq and gain))
Or can a master volume be on a single channel amp, with just tone, gain and volume control? (i.e. 1 volume control)
I realize this really is amps for dummys, but I am confused….
Thank you in advance.
Hi Nils! There are differences between amps and some use different names for the controls but most amps are designed like this:
the guitar is fed into a pre amp, which basically boosts the guitar signal. That’s the gain or volume. The signal then often goes through the tone section and then into the output amp, which makes the signal louder. That’s the channel volume, master volume or simply volume. Presence is usually a boost around the 6-7k range, which is high mids or low treble. Tone is usually a treble cut control that interacts with the treble control.
Usually, when you want lots of gain, you want the preamp loud and the master moderate. If you want a cleaner tone, with more headroom, then you want the preamps lower and the master high.
Hi Björn,
Thanks for a great source of info on the sweet things in life!
Just wondering if you’ve played around with the H&K 18 Red Box at all? Is it useful? Would be interesting to hear a comparison with your setup!
I live in an apartment building so playing through a cab can be difficult at times.
/Georg
Thanks for your kind words! I’ve tried it a couple of times but it sounds flat and processed. Don’t see myself using it for a recording.
Hi Bjorn. Sadly, Hughes & Kettner doesn’t have a dealer in Greece, and the capital controls imposed on the country make procurement from abroad a rather complicated procedure. The options I’m left with are the Laney L5T-112, the Fender Super Champ X2 and the Egnater Rebel-30 112 MkII. Do you have any experience with the Fender and the Egnater? What’s your opinion on them?
Can’t go wrong with the Laney :)
If I can afford it, I’ll go for the Laney then. Thank you!
Hey Bjorn! Thank you for answering my question about by BD-2 and Black Secret. I wanna get a new amp and I was thinking either the Blues Jr or Laney Cub Stack. I was wondering how well can the Blues Jr take a big muff and would the matching cab for the Laney be Ok for now since they changed the speaker? I mostly play at home and money is a little bit of an issue so that’s why I was asking. Finally which amp would you recommend me getting? Thank you!
Fender amps usually makes Big Muffs sound less smooth and warm, compared to the more mid range oriented amps, like the Cub, Marshall, Hiwatts etc. The Blues Jr is great but if you’re looking for an amp that can handle fuzz and Muffs, then the Cub might be a better choice.
Just to piggy back on that Bjorn since I recently bought the new tweed Blues Jr, if you are looking for that “Final Cut”/Animals live ‘cutting’ big muff then the Blues Jr. is actually pretty great. A couple musician friends noticed a pretty striking change in my last video and I hadn’t told them I was using the Fender. They said it was a lot more ‘bitey’ and I agree. On my more mid-range amp I usually needed the BD-2 to boost my Ram but I noticed that with the Blues Jr just a cranked Muff sounds really good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqtR5X8Z3mc
Part 1 is plain Muff + Elec Lady, part 2 is adding a BD-2 to boost for reference, this is the Blues Jr. I’m still getting used to my cleans from the Fender but so far I feel like I was always supposed to have it. Hope this helps Joshua.
And what about a Fender Bassman 59 LTD? It is quite bright but is more balanced than the other Fender amps like the Twin Reverb, thanks to its more robust low range (and it is also less mid-scooped than other Fender amps)! In your opinion, it could take Big Muffs and other gain pedals easily?
I don’t have that much experience with Bassman combos. I had a 100w head years ago, which I loved but it sounded very different. True, the Bassman has a bit more mids but you need to keep both the treble and bass fairly moderate to avoid harshness.
Thanks a lot! :)
Hi Bjorn, I see you use the Reeves Custom 50. I’m also contemplating buying a Reeves and have a hard time choosing between the Space Cowboy and Custom 50. Have you also heard the Space Cowboy and if so what were your reasons to buy the Custom 50?
Thanks in advance for your answer.
Best regards,
Bas
I’ve had mine for years now and they didn’t offer the Space Cowboy when I bought mine. I guess the Custom 50 is a more authentic sounding Hiwatt clone, while the Space Cowboy is kind of a beefed up version, with more headroom, a boost function, reverb etc.
Thanks! Was kind of my impression as well. Space Cowboy is more of a Hiwatt DG meets John Mayer sig Two Rock (specially on the Clifton Broadbridge demo), Both sound amazing but will probably mean a trip to Germany to see which one holds prefference.
Love the playing and sounds of your demo’s :-)
Thank you!
Hey Bjorn, I’ve owned the Lany Cub Head and Cab for almost a year now, but soon I am going to switch the stock tubes to some JJ Electronic tubes and I want to switch two the speakers in the cabinet and I saw what you said about the Celestion V30s and that sounds pretty right to me, I was wondering what Ohm version of the Celestion V30s your use, would you recommend 16 or 8?
The amp often goes beyond bright and easily getting ice picky especially on the bridge pick up, forcing me to use the tone controls on the guitar and often on the amp.
Thanks and keep up the spectacular work!
– George
Mine are two 16 ohms wired in parallel for a total of 8 ohm.
Just had a couple of questions in regards to amps. Is there another amp out there that is comparable to a laney 12 that is better built with a little more power available around the 20 watt range. How close is the Lionheart tonewise in comparison to the Cub? I’m looking for a head that will get me the same tones, using a cab with 2 eminence tonkers. The eminence tonker is kind of like the Weber Thames except the Tonker is more open and doesn’t mush up like the Thames tends to do. Was interested in the Hughes tm 18 as well, but was wondering is the gain side bright on the amp or dark? Thank you.
The H&K sounds very bright with the Webers, so I wouldn’t go there. The Lionheart is a fantastic amp. Somewhat similar to the Cub but much more of a hi-end quality. The clean channel is close to an AC30 and the gain channel, which has lots of headroom, sounds close to an early Marshall. Mind though that there’s a lot more to it than that as you got a wide range of modes and controls. It goes very well with pedals too.
Bjorn, this website is an amazing resource that I’ve referred back to again and again over the years now. I find we hear things alike and your reviews have been spot on from my chair. I’d like to stop and say thank you, to all of the contributors on this page as well. When I read here recently that Laney had done a 4×10 Lionheart combo I had to find one. Possibly the last known nib from a shop in London for 499GBP ;-)
Thanks for your kind words, Rocco!
Hi! Is better the hiwatt t20hd or bugera v22 for Gilmour tone? I have aa fender strato USA with EMG pu and tube driver BK.
Thanks a lot
Simon
I’d go with the Hiwatt.
thank’s a lot Bjorn! ok, i’ll try to buy the hiwatt t20hd and tell You about the sound!
thanks!
Simon
Hi Bjorn,
I have a Laney Lionheart 20 head and cab that I’m loving. Only problem when I play high notes it they can often sound very loud and actually hurt my ears a little. I have the treble and tone on the amp lower than what you use (shown on your other website) and its most noticeable when using my Muff (Skreddy P19).
Did you notice this before you changed the speakers to V30s? and if so did the V30s fix this problem?
I’m basically looking for a speaker that sounds less harsh on these very high notes, but still sounds aggresive when using overdrives/muffs.
Thanks
Sorry for my late reply, Pat. Are you using the bright mode? What’s the tone control set to?
Hi Bjorn,
Thanks for your reply.
Bright switch is on, otherwise it just sounds very dull (especially with a muff).
I’ve tried with many settings on the tone control. I’m not at home now but I think it is around 6. Any lower sounds too dull and any higher is even more ice-picky.
So I’ve been putting up with the high pitch harshness in order to keep it from sounding too dull. Its not incredibly harsh, but after playing for 20 minutes at a moderate volume the high notes start to give me a headache, when the rest of the tone doesn’t seem that loud.
I’m just not sure how to dial this out without making the amp dull, this is my first proper amp so I don’t have much experience.
I just figured speakers might be the way to go, so that I can keep the amp tone high and ‘lively’ sounding, but not break my eardrums.
Thanks again,
Pat
OK, it’s a matter of taste as well but I spent some time figuring out the bright switch and the tone control. The Lionheart can get very dark and very bright. My current settings are: hi input, bright engaged, drive channel gain 1, volume as desired, bass 5, mids 8, treble 2, tone 0.8 (all numbers are marks on the Lionheart). It may sound dark to you but I think this setup works great for most pedals and for recording. You might want to adjust slightly, depending on your pickups, pedals and room. Hope this helps.
So basically amps that uses EL84 or 6L6 tubes are the way to go to get a Gilmour type tone?
Depends on the voicing of the amp but yes, that would at least give you something very close to what he’s usually using while recording.
Hey everyone!
Wanted to know what you thought of the Mesa Lonestar for a Gilmourish tone? I know the cleans are some of the best around but wondering how the lead channel is and how it compares to the Reeve’s amps? Thanks
I haven’t tried the Lonestar myself but from what I’ve read, it’s in that Fender/American family, tonewise. It’s much more than that, but it’s somewhat based on the classic Fender tone. The Reeves is a Hiwatt clone 1:1. The main difference, is that although both has a pristine clean tone with tons of headroom, the Lonestar has a slightly scooped tone and a crispy top end. The Reeves has lots of presence, high mids boost and a generally flatter response in the lows and highs.
I’m sure both are great for replicating Gilmour’s tones, although I’d go for the Reeves myself. The Lonestar may be a more versatile amp though, for other tones and genres.
Hello! I wanted to chime in here on the LoneStar. I had a Mesa LoneStar Classic combo with the stock C90 Black Shadow speakers and I was getting some PHENOMENAL gilmourish tones by running the clean channel with pedals in front. I found the voicing to be somewhere in between a Hiwatt and a Twin, it has the less scooped, presence heavy with mids tone of the old Hiwatts with the clarity and roundness of an old Twin. While it won’t get you all of the way to the sound of the Hiwatt, it will get you 90% of the way there with some tweaking, and, as an added bonus you can do a much better job of covering David’s Fender tones IMO. Also, the second channel has a great vintage low to medium gain sound to cover a lot of vintage classic rock tones. I sold my Lonestar to buy a Hi-Tone (which, like Reeves, build amps to the near exact specs of ’71-’74 Hiwatts) and I’m actually going back to the Lonestar due to it’s versatility. The stock C90’s are a very neutral speaker that allows the character of the amp and effects to shine through, so much so that, when I ran my Hi-Tone through the Mesa C90 extension cab I have I noticed very little if any difference to the Fane loaded cab I usually run it through. The best comparison I can give is the Hi-Tone/Hi-Watt/Reeves will give you the sound of David live, the LoneStar will get you closer to his studio sound.
As a side note, I have a Mark V, which I’ve seen several people ask about on this forum. I want to add that, despite Mesa’s insistance that the Mark V cleans are based on the LoneStar, it is a much brighter and punchier amp with more of a ‘scoop’ to it’s EQ and less suited to Gilmourish tones, although I think overall it will still get players close to his sound with some tweaking. If you play with low output single coil guitars like myself you will spend a lot of time adjusting the presence and treble controls down.
If you are looking for an amp that will cover a ton of tones VERY well and do a reasonable approximation of Gilmour, then get a Mark V, if you looking for a slightly less versatile Mesa that will get you much closer to a Gilmourish tone than go with the LoneStar.
Hi Bjorn,
Thanks for this great article. I’m just in the process of buying Laney Cub head. The only one I found in Canada!!!
They don’t have the Laney Cub cabinet in Canada and it is probably very expensive to ship it from US.
I was wondering if you tried your Cub head with other cabinets and if so, which speaker you found suitable for Gilmour tone. Generally speaking if you have any section of your web page mentioning and reviewing cabinets that are highlighting that British amp tone. I’m hoping I get the same configuration as the Laney Cub cabinet: 2×12″ 50W each 8ohm cabinet.
I have a Carvin 100 watt tube amp with 2x100W Carvin British series speakers that are apparently very good (80s manufacturing), but they are each 8 ohm and they suggest using a 4 ohm output mode on the Carvin amp. Laney Cub doesn’t have a 4ohm mode (only 8 ohm and 16 ohm) and I don’t want to have a mismatched situation in case it can damage either the amp or the speakers (probably the amp).
I appreciate your comment.
Sorry for my late reply… I’ve tried a couple of different speakers with the Cub 12. My first setup was two Weber Thames 80w speakers, similar to David’s old Fane Crescendos. It sounded great. Lots of headroom. They’re very bright though so if you’re not into that crispy Hiwatt tone, you might want to try something different. I’m currently running two Celestion V30s in the cab, which fits that Hiwatt/early Marhshall tone perfectly. Warm and a nice mids boost.
Thanks Bjorn, I will look into Weber Thames speakers later but for now I got a custom cabinet built with Peavy cabinet but the tech put two Celestion G12H-90s in it. I compared it with my Carvin British series 2x100W speaker and it had a more pleasing and complex sound in the high mid and high frequencies and more open sounding. Also mids are warmer sounding, low mids and especially lows are bigger and doesn’t sound muddy (lows have good enough definition). I just tested with guitar plugged directly to Laney Cub head with 15W signal route, volume at 5 to 6, tone at 8, treble at 3, bass at 5, mids at 5, gain at 2. Didn’t try to see if <1W would give the same response. I tried the 15W signal route in the garage. It's good for me to find the settings that work with <1W for inside the house when other people are around. Did you find you need to tweak the amp variables beyond what you mentioned in your "What is tone? (part 3)" for <1W signal route?
BTW, I'm also going to try with this custom cabinet putting the Boss GE-7 in the send / return of Laney Cub head to see if it is beneficial for further frequency tweaking especially if I use the higher gain settings on Laney Cub head. I found Laney Cub Head at higher gain (let's say up to 4 for <1W and up to 7 for 15W input) still doesn't show breakup and just adds to the overtones but the frequencies change quite a bit. Brilliance goes down and low-mid bumps up and looses the definition. So with GE-7 I can add to brilliance (6 to 7 kHz) and reduce the 3 kHz a bit to allow sparkle to reveal a bit more, and reduce the low-mids to balance out the overall response.
Thanks again for your advices.
Just to add that when I hooked up my pedals to Laney Cub head and the cabinet, I started finding out that I can push the gain on the Wampler Plexidrive without loosing the uniformity of the overdrive overtones. I think my problem (breakup sound from Plexidrive) that I asked you for advice earlier was because I didn’t have enough harmonics blending things together in the power stage of the amp because I was running at 10-15 percent of my 100 watt amp power prior to using Laney Cub. Also with the pedals (Boss CS-2 to Plexidrive to Chorus/Delay) I found out that your Laney Cub clean settings works great!!!
Thanks a bunch. I was so lucky to bump into your knowledge base and finding Laney Cub head in Canada!
Cheers!!! :)
Cheers! Overdrive pedals and gain effects in general are very sensitive to how you set them up and experimenting with different combinations, settings etc will create some very cool sounds.
I tweak the amp settings all the time, based on what guitar and pedals I use but yeah, I do adjust them slightly whenever I select a different power scaling. I usually need more mids on lower wattages to compensate for less tube and speaker drive.
Hi Bjorn! I’m thinking of replacing my Ibanez TSA15 head by something that could produce the same very clean sound but more in the Highwatt vein. Do you still like the Laney Cub head? It seems that it doesn’t have as much headroom as the Ibanez but I don’t play loud at all, it’s just for recording you know. Does the Laney gives a good crystal clean sound as a basis for pedals? Thank you for your help :)
Sorry for my late reply, Anaon. The Cub is a great budget amp and tone wise it’s right up there with the Hiwatts and Marshalls of the late 60s and early 70s. Classic, warm British tone. It does have plenty of headroom and with the right speaker and new tubes, you should be able to play quite loud without any breakup. You might also want to look into the Laney Lionheart series. A bit more expensive but awesome sounding amps and great value. Check out the new 5w Studio model.
Good Afternoon from Italy (excuse me for my english)!
For my room (and with my budget) I’m looking for:
– Hiwatt Maxwatt Series G15R
– Fender Champion 20
I’ve a 2001 Mexican Strato
What’s the best for Gilmour’s sound?
I’m very undecided… Thanx!
Between those two I’d go with the Fender. Check out the Laney Cub series as well :)
Hi Bjorn !
Ones again, great website and advises !!! You’re definitely the Gilmour sound reference !!!!
I have a little question for you. I have the opportunity to buy a Laney Lionheart L20t410 (4×10′ jensen speakers) for a very decent price (400 euros). What do you think about this amp ? Do you think it can cover a drum kit and maybe be use on small stages (club/bars/…) ?
Many thanks in advance for your answer.
Regards,
David.
Thanks for your kind words, David! I’ve been using the L20 head and matching cab for a couple of years now and I couldn’t be happier with it. Great tones and extremely versatile. I haven’t tried the combo version so I can’t really tell how the 4×10″ Jensen speakers fit with the overall tone of the amp but I think the Lionheart series deserve much more cred for being amazing sounding amps for a reasonable price.
Many thanks for your answer Bjorn !
Hello, Bjorn.
Recently i bought a Zoom G3X effects and amp simulator unit. I’m on a budget and couldn’t spend more than i did, since things here are very expensive. The unit has HiWatt and Sound City simulations, and all the classic Gilmour pedals, like the Fuzz Face, Muff, ProCo Rat, modulations and etc. I would like to know if you think this equipment would be suitable for just playing at home, real bedroom playing.
My gear is a 1996 American Fender Stratocaster with a Staner Kute 60 amplifier.
Chers from Brazil.
I haven’t tried that particular model but digital modelling or simulations have come a long way lately and it’s more a matter of learning how these things work and what they’re good at. Obviously, one unit can’t do it all but you’ll find some tones that work and some that just don’t hold up. Check out this feature for some tips on how to set up your processor.
Cheers Bjorn :)
Hi Bjorn
Following on from your recommendation I went and bought a Laney Cub12r head :)
I bought it off eBay from a guy an hour down the road from me.After establishing we were both massive Floyd/Gilmour fans,he asked me was I aware of Gilmourish,to which I told him that’s where I had got the recommendation about the amp (he too had bought the amp from your recommendation) very small world indeed :)
Can I trouble you for another recommendation on a cab to go with the head please.The current Laney cub cab seems to have quite a few bad reviews regarding the HH speakers(the guy who I bought the head from used a Orange ppc112 and recommended it highly) I was just wondering would you go for the ppc112 or maybe something else what would befit Gilmourish tones?
Massive thanks for all your hard work and dedication to the site,it truly is a godsend for us Gilmour tone chasers(and I bet,quite a few amp and pedal manufacturers too) :)
Kind regards
Rick.
Hi Rick! Thanks for all your kind words! I’ve tried a few different speakers for the cab, including Weber Thames, which are replicas of the old Fanes WEM used back in the days, but currently I have a pair of V30s in it and it works really well with the cub. Warm and smooth mids, with a nicely balanced low end. I’m sure you can go for pretty much anything but the V30s are worth looking into.
Hey Bjorn, so the new Blues Jr. is out and it’s the tweed edition. Everyone says they hate it and it sounds boxy, which it can I guess, but it makes Ram’s Head clones sound way more like what I want than my Ephiphone Blues Custom 30, however I think I like my Epi’s clean better. Have you tried to the new Blues Jr. Tweed?
I haven’t tried the new Tweed but it seems to be the same amp as the stock one. The Blues Jr can come off as both boxy and bright but you can tame that to some extent by experimenting with the settings. I know a lot of people replace the Jensen speaker, with something a bit warmer. Check out this article for some tips.
Hi Bjorn I just was wondering about you opinions on the Hughes and Kettner tubemeister 5w head. I noticed that you used a tubemeister 18w head a few times on youtube and I just wanted to know if you think there is any potential for Gilmour tones (clean or effect heavy) on the 5w Head? Unlike the 18w it doesnt have an effects loop so I’m not sure if the 18w is much different than the 5w despite the obvious volume difference and a few features. I own the a tubemeister 5 head and I run it through a Huges and kettner 60w 112 cab with a project strat (squire) with general electronics, hardware, and shielding upgrades. I don’t have many good pedals but I do have a boss cs3, a boss distortion ds1, a modern reissue big muff (used mainly on bass) and an outlaw delay.
Greetings From Canada!
I haven’t tried the 5w but the 18w sounds great. I use the gain channel for pedals. The clean doesn’t handle pedals very well. Try this:
gain channel, bass 12:00, mids, 1:00, treble 9:00, gain 8:00 and master volume as desired.
Thanks, I never before realy used the gain Channel much before. I guess turning it on gives you a boost without the amp distorting if you keep the gain down. Great article btw.
Cheers!
bonjour Bjorn , merci a toi , grace a tout tes conseils , je me suis equipé au mieux . Laney cub , dyna comp , evolution buffalo ,tc elect delay ,, me manque le chorus ! a venir !! plaque 50 s , 69s , ssl5 d occasion mais qui marche super pour funk aussi !! et jouer avec les 2 tones ! pour les bons reglages !!
Seule point faible dans tes conseisl sur BLackstar ht5 ,,, c est de la merde !!!! sa ne sonne pas du tout et y a que 2 lampes !!! dailleur je le vends , si ca interesse !!
Bientot j ai rendez vous avec maestro AVIGNION EN FRANCE , de la balle !!!! September
Chris de saint etienne!
Translate, please?
Hi Bjorn , thank you to you, all thanks to your advice , I equipped at best. Laney cub , dyna comp , evolution buffalo , elect delay tc ,, I miss the chorus ! coming !! plate 50 s, 69s , ssl5 opportunity but also works great for funk !! and play with 2 tones ! for the right set !!
The only weak point in your conseisl on Blackstar HT5 c ,,, is shit !!!! its not at all and are only 2 lamps sounds !!! dailleurs I sell if interested ca !!
Soon I have an appointment with maestro AVIGNION IN FRANCE , the ball !!!! September
Chris St. Etienne !
Thanks for sharing, Chris!
Hi Bjorn, Thanks a million for your amp reviews. Based on your review I have just bought the new upgraded Laney L5 Studio with Cab and I just can’t believe how good this is. I have a Conford amp and this small amp is up there if not better than the Conford particularly as it is far more versatile. I have the amp plugged into to the 0.5w socket and with the volume at just under half it is very loud with incredible tones. I am not using any pedals just my music man sss silhouette special, the combination is outstanding and the tone I have been searching for. Very pleased and thanks again.
Glad to hear!
Hi Bjorn,
What do you think about BadCat Minicat compere to the Lionheart LT5?
I only play in my bedroom.
Best Regards
Thomas Johansson
I haven’t tried the MiniCat so I can’t really tell. I’m sure it’s a nice amp, as the rest of the BadCats but based on the reviews I’ve read I would think that the Lionheart is a it more versatile in terms of channels and controls. Soundwise, they both cover that early British tone.
Hi Bjorn, hey whats the proper length of cable from pedal to amp?
As short as possible but adding a buffer in chain will make sure that the signal from your guitar is driven all the way through without any loss. Read more about buffers here.
Hi Bjorn! I’m still looking for a tube amp that could work for Gilmourish sounds… Since I want a lot of headroom and a nice clean sound from the amp do you think the Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 36 could be a good choice? I’d like to use it on the clean channel or in the crunch one (with a low gain setting) in combination with some Gilmourish pedals such as Big Muff, Tube Driver, analog or digital delay, chorus, flanger and univibe!
In your opinion wich channel works best with pedals? And, even though this amp has a very modern character, can I get a good Gilmour 70’s tone with it?
Thanks :)
The Tubemeister amps are great but as you say, they are very modern sounding. Still, with the right pedals you should be able to nail pretty much anything. They go very well with all kinds of pedals – mind though that you need to use the gain channel set all clean. The clean channel doesn’t handle pedals. I also recommend looking into the Laney Lionheart series for some vintage and versatile tones.
Thanks a lot! I’ll try them :)
Hi Bjorn! I just got me a new strat and a Laney cub10 for home practice! Now I get what British tone is, especially when I drive the poweramp volume a bit more. it even handles my bc109… Well, sort of handles! :P
I am on a purchase of a bigger amp for studio and concerts and I’d like your opinion. It’s the only reference I’ve found so far, but the 50w stack sounds a bit thinner, than the 100w one. Is it because of,
1, the 50w vs 100w power of the amps, both handling a 4×12 cab, or
2, the plywood vs particle/plywood cabs
If it’s a matter of number of speakers in the cabinet, would a 2×12 sound fatter with a 50w hiwatt head (not necessarily the SSD one, I am more of a custom DR504), given, that the 50w combo features a 2×12 configuration.
Thanks!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3HBIBr_NxQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbQtRnqLZ9M
Hard to determine of an amp actually sound based on a clip like this. What’s important is that you get an amp that fits the tones you want and that matches your pedals and guitar. You can experiment with different speakers and speaker cabs but the difference between all this comes down to nuances and taste. A 100w is usually too big for bedrooms, rehearsal and smaller clubs. You wouldn’t be able to drive it hard enough to reach that sweetspot. Whether that is clean or for the gain. A 50w might be too much as well but it depends on how loud the amp is and how much headroom it has. I have several amps but the one I often use is a 20w tube head with a 2×12 cab. It works well for both recording and for smaller venues.
Hello Bjorn!
I’ve been in the market for a lower wattage amp in the tone realm of a Hiwatt (I have a Fender HRD at the moment). I wonder if you’ve ever come across Hi-Tone Amplification?
http://www.hi-tone-amps.com/
What caught my eye was there “DG” series amps and the fact that they have a selectable 30/15 watt class that has pre-linked inputs specifically for Gilmour tone junkies.
From the website:
“The DG series is based on the amps used by one very comfortably numb guitarist.
Internally you will find the classic 1972-1974 preamp with internally linked inputs.
– Two channels with a “Linked” input jack
– Standard with Sozo capacitors and available with NOS Mustard caps and optional NOS Mullard tubes in the preamp.”
The only odd thing about the amp is the fact that it uses 6v6 power tubes. So if I were to buy this amp would I be seriously missing the el34 tubes that are more associated with the Hiwatt/British sound?
Thanks for all your hard work Bjorn!
P.S. I received my Buffalo FX TD-X and it is awesome! It took a bit of tweaking to sound right on the Fender HRD but once I figured it out it was tonal bliss! Sorry for the long winded post :)
I’ve never tried their amps and haven’t read that many reviews either but the company is runned by Dave Reeves son (Dave designed the old Hiwatt amps) and Mark Huss, who is an authority on old Hiwatt amps. Look around and see if you can find any reviews.
Hi Bjorn — I have just started using a Damage Control Womanizer together with a Buffalo-FX Evolution as my front end for a direct-to-DAW set up, and it is pretty fabulous as an easy Gilmourish solution for those of us who need to not wake our kids when recording!
As you may know, Damage Control was the same company as Strymon, and the incredible sounds on their Strymon demos (they told me) come from using the DC Womanizer Pre-Amp (which is tube + EQ + opto-compression) and their various pedals. I phoned them up to make sure the Evolution would play well with the preamp (they assured me that it was designed to take pedals) and hey presto — killer tone! DC preamps are no longer made, but they seem to come up regularly on eBay. The Womanizer is the one I have tried: don’t know how the Liquid Blues or the Demonizer would work.
FWIW, I put the channel I described together with a gate, a bit of EQ boost in the DAW, plus a tape echo and hall reverb from the DAW. I am very, very, pleased, and looking forward to enough time to really dial it in.
Also, I haven’t tried it yet, but I am going to try running this into an old late-80s solid-state Fender Power Chorus amp I have (clean channel) as well. That amp is praised for its clean sounds, and (rightly) denigrated for its on-board distortion. ;-) I think pedal + DC Preamp + amp could be a really nice little combo.
I am still hoping to lay my hands on a Laney, but this is a great (and very affordable)
Thanks! Karl
Thanks for sharing, Karl!
For anybody struggling to get a good valve tone at low volumes – I’d like to recommend the new Laney Lionheart L5 Studio Head and 1×12 cab, just released. It’s a 5w amp, but there is also the option for 0.5w – ideal for cranking those valves at low volumes. Mine arrived yesterday, and I’m in low-volume valve-tone heaven. I previously owned a Laney L5T-112, but even that was too loud. The new Laney L5 Studio running at 0.5w is freaking awesome, I love it :)
Check it out here: http://www.laney.co.uk/products/product_details/177
Haven’t had the chance to try the studio yet but I can’t really praise my L20 enough. Great amps!
Hi Bjorn! Hope all is well, loving the music you’ve blessed us with in Airbag!
I’m looking for a small tube for gilmourish tones, I have a Marshall DSL 40C but it’s just way to loud for bedroom use, I’ve never had the volume above 2. Anyways I want a low wattage quality amplifier for bedroom use and I’m tossing up between the Laney Cub 12 Stack, Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 18 or perhaps even the Laney Lionheart combo.
Now I’m a little confused about which Laney is better for me, in the above comments I got the impression that you think the Lionheart is a better overall amp but the cub is better for Gilmourish tones? Correct me if I’m wrong, that’s just what I gathered. The cub would obviously be more practical for me with it’s one watt power scaling.
I’m also a bit in the dark in regards to the tubemeister. Do you use the clean channel at all? Or do you just use the gain channel for pedals with the gain setting low? I apologize it’s just a little confusing for me.
Anyways I’m most likely going to get the cub or tubemeister just because they have the power scaling and you seem to praise them for bedroom use. Could give any insight into which of the two you prefer in terms of a Gilmourish tone and general quality? Much appreciated, thanks again for this godsend of a site!
Hi David! The Cub is similar to a Hiwatt and the early Marshall amps. It handles pedals pretty well and you can easily tweak it for some nice Gilmour tones. The H&K is a modern sounding amp and perhaps not ideal for David’s tones but certainly capable of it. I use the gain channel. The clean doesn’t handle pedals at all but the gain channel has enough headroom. The Lionheart is perhaps the most versatile amp of all three and I can’t really praise it enough. It’s become a huge part of my tones. Check out their new studio version.
hi Bjorn.
best web site on the internet. im thinking of trading in my vox ac15c2, for a hiwatt t20.
do you think i will gain anything by this or should i stick to the vox i am happy with the tone
im getting sort of but could the hiwatt improve on that.
many thanks for a great site.
regards Dave.
hi, Bjorn,
sorry forgot to say also looking at fender blues junior which could be a better option.
regards Dave.
Bit of the same as a Vox. It doesn’t have that much mids but the tone is classic Fender. Again, depends on what tones you want. All three are great sounding amps but very different from each other.
Hi David! That’s two very different sounding amps so it depends on what tones you want. Queen/U2/Beatles VS Floyd/Who? The Vox doesn’t have a lot of mids but the Hiwatt do. I’ve always found the Vox to be a tad too aggressive and overly punchy, while I’ve always found the Hiwtat to compliment pedals much better.
Hi Bjorn! I’m looking at getting the Laney Lionheart combo seeing as a I cant find a stack anywhere in my area. I’ll mainly be playing by myself or sometimes jamming with my mates, does it get loud enough to be heard over drums in a rehearsal? If not are there any other amps that sound as good as the lionheart?
I’d go for the 212 L20 combo. It should be more than enough for rehearsal and smaller clubs. A good tip is to angle the amp upwards or placed on a 4×12 cab so that the sound hits you in the neck and not through your legs. Also, be sure to keep the mids fairly high. The Lionheart has a scooped tone so for it to cut through you need to boost the mids a bit.
I was thinking of buying a Hiwatt T20 head but not easy to find one close by to try so I sent some questions to the Hiwatt tech department about the cab ohm rating of the T20, on the back panel of amp I noticed it says 8ohms. The dealer in Australia said it should not be used with the 16 ohm cab I use & most tube amps are that way! So I mailed Hiwatt UK direct to get the story straight from the horses mouth, well a few weeks later & no joy from Hiwatt so I think I will pass on buying one. Seems a bit strange that they can only be used with an 8ohm load though, most amps I have owned have been 8 or 16 ohm rated. Got any info on this you could pass on to me Bjorn? Cheers & keep the great work going…
Hey Bjorn,
Is it possible to get close to Gilmour tones with a Mesa Mark iii (red stripe)? I’m really interested in it out of influence from Trey Anastasio of Phish. I like that it has the two rhythm channels (which i’m assuming the 2nd, or “Marshall” channel would be better for David tones) so I can cover a lot of ground. I was also thinking that setting the eq to mid boost and switching it to “auto” (on for lead channel) could function like a booster for the fuzz pedal if i set the drive low enough. also toying with the idea of customizing a cabinet to have one fane and one celestion speaker to give me sort of a unique combo of David and Trey’s tones. Just wondering if all these are reasonable assumptions, and in the end it’s just the Gilmour vibe that I want, I’m not really looking to replicate his tone exactly in an OCD sort of way.
Cheers and thanks for all your previous responses (and this site which I’ve spent most of my free time reading lately),
Tom
I don’t have that much experience with that amp but you should be able to get some nice Gilmour tones with it. It has a nice amount of headroom, although you can’t really drive it too hard before it breaks up. The tone is perhaps closer to a Fender but yeah, it should fit your description.
don’t mind about my question on changing tubes… I read it on your article.
I just got this Laney Cub 12 combo, and it’s wonderful! It “talks” to all my pedals! It’s a perfect match! I’m thinking now in making it even better. YBjorn, you have a Cub 12 too, right? Did you try changing its original tubes for new ones, other brands? I’m loving it! People, search no more! If you all want a very good amp: LANEY CUB 12 it’s the answer!
I use JJ Electrinic tubes for all my tube applications. The Cub sounded a lot smoother with the JJs :)
Just bought a Fender Vibro Champ XD and my experience is not so well… when used it with only a guitar plugged, it’s OK, but when I try using it with my pedals, oooohhh… it really sucks! Also have a CUB8 and it’s infinitely better!! That Fender shouldn’t be called a “TUBE” amp! People, just run away from modelling amps, tube or “tubeless”!!! I’ll stop spending my money on things I don’t know if it works or not! Go on something that’s for sure: LANEY CUB12 will be next acquisition!
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the amp but these smaller Fenders, which dates back to the very early days of the company, are meant to be practice amps. Plug and play. The fact that they also got a mids scooped tone, means that you need to use pedals that have a mids boost, like Tube Screamer, RAT or similar pedals. If you do want to use a wide range of different pedals you should stay away from smaller Fenders and Vox and stick to amps that are designed to be used in small bedrooms or at least least can handle pedals at low volume, like most of the Laneys, Hiwatts, Marshalls etc.
Bjorn, can you recommend a few fuzz, maybe overdrive pedals, i have a H&k TM 18 its my first tube amp, bedroom setup..chasing that time tone or something close to it, I know fuzz needs volume, does that matter with the amps powersoak? Do i even need overdrive with this amp? Something versatile would be cool..thanks for all you do..
Hi Chris! I have a TM 18 in my home studio and usually, I run it on 5w on the gain cannel with these settings: treble 9:00, mids 11:00, bass 12:00, gain 8:00 (o’clock) and the volume as desired. Depending on your guitar, pickups and speaker, these settings should provide enough headroom for a warm clean tone. You could go for fuzz pedals etc but I recommend something a bit versatile since these pedals often need a bit of volume. For distortion, I’d go for the Buffalo FX Evolution. It can go from classic distortion to Big Muff and fuzz. Check out a RAT clone, like the Mooer Black Secret if you’re on a tight budget. For overdrive, you definitely need one, I’d go for a Wampler PlexiDrive or Fulltone OCD. These works nicely on the TM18. Again, for a nice budget model, check out the Hustle Drive or Blues Mood from Mooer.
Thanks man, I will definitely follow your advice.
Cheers!
Bjorn, can I use a regular patch cable to connect the head to the speaker, like I said this is my first decent amp & I always had combos , thanks
Nevermind Bjorn, I know the answer..NO!!
Correct. You need a cable that can handle the amplified signal. Keep in mind also to never turn on the head without it being connected to a cabinet. The transformers can blow if you do.
Gotit tthank-you
Cheers!
Hey Chris! I can recommend you the Costalab Custom Muff if your aim is to have a pedal that can sound as a very vintage overdrive and also a powerfull fuzz: it is very versatile since it can cover almost every David’s tone (from Dark Side Of The Moon to Pulse) and it’s easy to use it in “bedroom setups”! Bjorn has done a review of it: http://www.gilmourish.com/?p=3718
Ok great, thanks man.
Hi, Björn. I love vintage amps, like the Gibson GA-15R Goldtone or the Fender Excelsior. I know they are not the best for Gilmour tones and they are very limited to any tone at all ! You were already asked about the Excelsior for trying to change its tone with a pre-amp pedal. But my question is dumber: ‘can I colour it with a simple EQ pedal, like the Boss GE-7?’. Can I achieve the same tone as if the amp had the bass, mid, treble controls built in? In this case, it would make any difference if I put the EQ pedal at first in chain or at last? Best regards, my friend. You are the ‘tone guide’ for us!
Hi Roger! Using an EQ isn’t quite the same as tweaking an amp’s controls. Depending on the amp, the EQ or tone section can either passive or active and often interacting with the amp’s pre and power stages. An EQ pedal, is, like a studio unit, a tool to shape the tone you get from your guitar and amp. If the amp lack mids, then boosting the 400-1500 range will compensate to some extent but it won’t be the same as cranking the mids control on the actual amp – as explained above. Nor will it be the same to have active tone controls on the guitar, like David’s red Strat. The lack of tone controls on an amp will limit your option but an EQ can be used to boost or cut certain frequencies, allowing you to compensate to some extent and shape the tone of your guitar or a pedal.
Hi, Björn. What settings do you normally use on the Laney Cub 12 when you have gain pedals on it? I was looking for one Cub 12 but the videos on line show that this amp is easily crunched even at lower gain settings… what do you do when you want to play it loud? Cheers.
Hi Roger! Check out this feature for recommended amp settings :)
Keith I wouldn’t sell the Reeves lol but that’s just me. I love mine. I would try to find a way to buy the other amp by selling some other stuff or just saving up over time. That’s just my opinion. You know what you really want! If you do get the amp let me know how much you like it!
Hey Bjorn, and others feel free to give your opinion! I’ve been considering selling my mint, not a scratch anywhere, Reeves head, and using the money for a Kemper profiling amp. I have some questions, and a lot of thinking to do first. I know that my friend Stephen has one, but is super busy, but has said that he loves his, and that it nails pretty much any tone if the amp it’s emulating was profiled right. Anyone have experience with the Kemper? Have you had a chance to try one Bjorn. If anyone has experience with the Kemper, please reply to this post. I can get one new at a price that is low enough where I’d probably have some cash from m the Reeves left over!
Thanks, any info appreciated, KEITH
Selling your Reeves? Hmm…. :) I don’t have any experience with the Kemper. Seen some raving reviews though and I’m sure you can get some very convincing tones with it.
Wait, your selling the Reeves?…I thought it was the REEVES!!
Good article, Bjorn! Do you think a Vox AC30 could work for gilmourish sounds?
Thanks :)
It’s not the ideal amp as you’d want one with more mids but it has a nice clean tone and with pedals that has focus on the mid range, you can get some really nice Gilmour tones with it.
Thank you, Bjorn! Maybe I could use a Stratocaster with the EMG DG20 set in order to have more mid range using the SPC control! However, I could also pedals focused on the mid range, like you said! I really appreciate the Vox AC30 clean tone when it’s near to break up: very warm but also very defined (almost like a Bassman 59)!
What do you think? :)
The SPC will give you a bit more of that mid range. You can also tweak the bass and treble control on the VC30. Lowering them, will bring out more of the mids.
Thank you, Bjorn! Great tip :)
This site’s only getting better and better!
I am after a full bodied british clean sound, I tried a Marshall jtm 45, but I think Hiwatt offers what I need. For home and small studio use, I believe their Little D with its power scale is the best deal.
I ‘ve noticed in Black Strat book Gilmour with one head and one cab, in Obscured by Clouds studio sessions, but that period he used two cabs with each head live, right? Other players, eg Hendrix did that too, I think.
The only difference I can think of, apart from wider more stereo sound on stage, is that two cabs give more headroom before speakers start to distort. Also on live performances Gilmour boosts his fuzz/muff, while on studio he doesn’t.
So, what’s the difference between one and two cabs, on one head?
It’s all about the size of the stage. Back in the late 60s, when the 4×12″ cabs appeared, guitarists started to play bigger venues. Often outdoors. The PA systems was small and there was no front stage monitoring. In fact, Floyd didn’t start using monitors until 1973, when they brought on backing vocalists. Hendrix used his huge backline for monitoring. So did David. Naturally, it does something to the sound. You could play loud and that would create overdrive, compression and sustain. David often used his Hiwatt+WEM cab in studio sessions. He still does, but in reality it’s a bit of overkill, as you would need to play at a reasonable volume to be both able to record properly and tolerate the volume. Most guitarists will use a smaller setup when recording, because it’s easier to tame the tone and you can always add reverb and delay in the mix to make the sound bigger.
In case of David’s setup in the 70s, he would use two Hiwatt heads (a thrid for backup), feeding two WEM cabs. Later on, he would use four WEM cabs that were linked. He actually didn’t start using stereo until 1980s Wall. Having more cabs doesn’t really do much for the headroom. The Hiwatts have lots of headroom and David would run them clean using pedals for overdrive and distortion/fuzz. Again, the reason for the big set up was volume.
I have got the Hiwatt Little D, purchase last June from Denmark Street..Commenting the quality and services of the existing Highlight Ltd: it is ugly indeed! The amp head lost its clean sound during the autumn, I have changed the tube set for JJs, but it was not enough. They did not respond to my written complaint, the solution was a local technician, who went through the wiring diagram,( getting from the dealer, not the manufacturer) and noticed, that the dia itself is wrong!? Type of one tube is wrongly written..changed the presence pot, which was the cheapest Chinese issue..
To tell the truth till today the whole story speaks about frustration and problems. Distributor compensated the costs of the repair, which has been done without the participation of the manufacturer…from that point the Little D works very well.. On the other side I have got a Hiwatt Custom SSD212 combo too, which is the best unit for gilmourish sounds.
Hi Bjorn, I’m very curious about your opinion on the Yamaha THR10 amp for practicing and jamming on backtracks. It seems a powerful tool for those, like me, doesn’t have many occasions to play loud with that bigger tone. So, have you ever considering it for bedroom playing and recording? It has so many handy features, and there are a lot of good sounding reviews, that I’m planning to have one near my Laney!
Cheers,
Luca
I haven’t tried it so I can’t really tell. Seems to have gotten some great reviews and it looks pretty versatile. Again, I can’t really say anything about it.
Ok Bjorn, when it come to my house I’ll try to do some test for Gilmourish tones :) I ordered the THR10C (classic) It looks very promising!
Cheers,
Luca
Keep us posted!
I was wondering if anyone knows if the Fender Super Champ XD is any good? I’ve done some research but I’m fairly new to all this stuff, any advice would be great!
A Nice practice/bedroom amp, with a classic Fender tone. Handles pedals pretty well although I’d go for models with a bit of mids boost, as Big Muffs and vintage style fuzz pedals can sound a bit fizzy.
Hi Bjorn, thank you for this wonderful site, I have learned so much from you and all the guys here.. I read where you say you replace the tubes on a new amp, I’m picking up my TM 18 this week should I swap the tubes, and what should I put in, I’ll be using a V30 speaker..
Thank you Chris! I can’t rememebr what tubes it came with but mine sounded harsh and had some hiss. I replaced them with same value JJ Electronics. The amps sound noticeably warmer and smoother. Be sure to do a search for a guide to tube replacement on the H&K. You don’t want to unscrew the wrong screws :)
As I pursue my quest for tone (TM) I am now looking at upgrading my Laney cub &cab.
The head will see the ruby tubes replaced by JJ.
The cab is more difficult to figure out.
It now comes with HH drivers, which are a bit dry and life less.
I’ve been looking through heaps of comments and reviews and I’ve narrowed the search to:
– Celestion Vintage 30
– Weber CERAMIC THAMES 12
– Jensen C12Q
– Celestion G12H Anniversary
The main drive for the Jensen is that they wouldn’t be as loud, as the cab is mainly used for beadroom playing…
Any advice?
I’ve used Weber for some time but you should know that these are loud and very bright. Personally I don’t like Jensen speakers with Marshall-ish amps. They sound better with Fender. It’s a matter of taste. The V30s are fairly dark and has a nice mid range. They can sound a bit flabby on open back cabs but they seem to work nicely with the Cub cabinet. The G12H are very similar to the V30, with a bit more presence in the upper mids and a tad more low end.
Thanks Bjorn
in mthe meantime found the following page: http://billmaudio.com/wp/?page_id=295 which is quite interesting.
I’m veering towards the heritage G12H. As soon as I’ve regained control of my left arm….
Hey Bjorn, I was wondering about the Fender Blues Jr. and the H&K Tubemeister 18 head. I’m looking for a small tube amp to replace my Fender Mustang 1 and I’m going between these two. The H&K seems like the better option what with the power scaling, FX loop, RedBox DI, and a Drive Channel. My only reservations are the fact that the H&K is close to $100 more expensive, even if I just by the head and run direct to a mixing desk. If I do want a cab it’ll be another $300-$500. What are your thoughts? I normally run my Mustang into a mixing desk via headphones jack when I play, and I normally play with headphones anyway. So even if I just buy the head by itself is it still a better bargain then the Blues Jr.?
Thanks,
Matt
Hi Matt! Depends on what tones you want. The Blues Jr is pure Fender, with that bright scooped tone. The H&K has a much more modern flavour, with a pristine tone and clarity. Personally I favour the H&K. It’s clean channel sound fizzy but the gain channel has enough headroom for pedals and it sounds really nice. The Blues Jr has a bit of a noise issue and it doesn’t handle Muffs and fuzz pedals that well. Both amps will fit nicely in a smaller club.
Hey thanks. Like I said, I was already leaning towards the H&K. I also just discovered that Alex Lifeson from Rush has been using H&K amps for the last 10 to11 years. That’s good, because I love Rush and their music just as much as Pink Floyd, and an amp that can do double duty for Lifeson and Gilmour tones is awesome.
Thanks,
Matt
The H&Ks makes great concert amps. They’re loud and the pristine tone cuts effortlessly through the mix.
Hey again Bjorn,
I got a Hot Rod Deluxe III over a year ago based on the advice you gave in this article, and it instantly became my no. 1 amp. I’ve entirely stopped using the Marshall DSL100 stack I had been using for nearly 8 years before that. I just couldn’t get near the tones I wanted with the Marshall. Thanks for the sound advice, it always seems to be on the ball.
With that said, the Hot Rod takes some careful tone pot manipulation to tame the “fender tone” and create something more subtle. I love that fender tone for Blues playing, but it’s a bit too bright for Gilmourish tones. I’ve gotten close to the tone I want on the clean channel with the treble and bass set around 4, and the middle and presence up around 8 and 9. But whether these settings work well or not seems to depend heavily on the volume I play at (usually between 2-3).
Can you give any suggestions how to get a great clean tone from a Hot Rod, as a basis for getting Gilmourish tones with pedals? Do you have any suggested settings? Where’s the sweet spot on the volume dial? Would you leave it open back, or place the back of the speaker cab against a wall? Maybe build a wall in front of it. :)
Thanks again for more than 2 years of solid advice now, since I first discovered your site.
Le meas,
Adrian.
Hi Adrian! The acoustics of an amp depends very much on the room and environment you’re playing in so whether or not you should put it up against a wall or how you should set the volume should be based on what works best for you. A good rule is to keep amps away from windows and corners to avoid unwanted resonance. Most Fender amps have emphasis on the treble and bass and may lack some mids compared to a Hiwatt. Although David often use Fenders in the studio, he’s mostly using a Hiwatts on stage and you would need to compensate for the lack of mids either by using pedals that have more mids, like Tube Screamer, Rat or Sovtek Muffs, or use an EQ or even humbuckers.
I’ve been using the Laney LX12 for about two years now, and for the past couple of months it’s just been going flat and dead. Doesn’t sound as good as it used to and clean/distortion is either very harsh or not enough. I’m looking for an amp for home use, and I play very versatile music, anywhere between soft rock to metal. I have a budget of about $120. Is there any amp you’d suggest for the same?
Also, I don’t have any analog pedals to use. I’m presently using a Zoom G5 processor board for any effects.
What sort of tones are you looking for and what’s your Budget?
Usually when that happens, it’s because one or more of the tubes needs to be replaced but this is a solid state amp so it can be a number of Things I Guess. I assume that you’ve eliminated any other sources in your rig? My recommendations are listed in this buyer’s guide. Budget range amps tend to be very similar so I’d just try a bunch and pick the one I’d like the most. Mid range is crucial both for David’s tones and for smaller amps to sound bigger, so I’d stay away from Vox and Fender and perhaps look at some Laney, Marshall or Roland.
Hi Bjorn, Great Site man, organized and lot of usefull info. Heres another of my questions: In Pulse, did Gilmour uses his hiwatts and Alembic at 10 (full volume)? can you appreciate any difference beetwen using it at half volume or full volume?.
Hi Lucas! Sorry for my late reply. I’ve seen different settings for the Alembic but it seems that a common volume setting was about 50-60%. The Hiwatts was also set fairly moderate as explained here. Still, this is quite loud with 100w amps and the four cabinet stereo setup. The Hiwatts has a lot of headroom but if you drive the preamps hard, they will distort as you can hear in Pete Towsend’s tones. Driving the master or output stage will probably make the amp sound too loud but it will maintain much of the headroom.
Hey bjorn! If I buy a transistor amp, can I get a gilmour tone? If I buy one, do you think that the marshall mg102 is a good decision?
Thanks, Andoni
Depends on what guitar you have, what pedals you use and how you set the pedals and the amp. The MGs sound very modern and perhaps not ideal for David’s tones but you should be able to get a decent clean tone as a basis for pedals. There’s nothing wrong in using transistor amps. It’s just a matter of taste. They may not be as dynamic and responsive as tube amps but they’re reliable and most amps today sound pretty good anyway.
Hi Bjorn!
What amp would you suggest for bedroom practice only? I already have a loud enough amplifier at the rehersal space, so it wouldn’t be used for playing with a drummer or anything.
I tried a Laney Cub 12R at the local music store, and was quite impressed by the sound, considering it’s very reasonable price. I also tried the Blackstar HT-1, but I was not much of a fan (not sure why; just didn’t sound “right” to me).
I was also considering a used Laney L5T-112, but that would be more expensive and perhaps too loud for bedroom playing?
Thanks,
Olle
The Laney L5 fits a bedroom nicely but it might be a tad too loud if you have very sensitive neighbours. I’m mostly using a H&K Tubemeister 18w in my home studio. It’s a modern sounding amp and perhaps not the most exciting tone wise but it’s small, affordable and the pristine tone makes it a perfect fit for all kinds of pedals. It also has scaling down to 5w and 1w.
Hey Bjorn, do you know anything about the Hiwatt Bulldog? It appears to be a 40 watt, two channel combo. They have one at my local Guitar Center and I wondered if it would be a good choice for Gilmour Tones?
I have never tried them but from what I understand they’re based on the DR series. I guess it was Hiwatt’s attempt at designing an amp similar to the new combos that emerged in the late 70s, like Mesa etc. I think it should go nicely with David’s tones. It’s seems to be a tad more aggressive than the DRs, not by gain but overall tone, but it should have enough headroom.
Hi Bjorn
What do you think about a Marshall Super Leaf or any Plexi-style amp for Gilmour tones?
Thanks!!
I guess both would go nicely with most of the typical Gilmour related pedals and sounds. The Super Lead is somewhat similar to a Hiwatt, while the early Plexi amps, like the JTM45 are closer to Fender.
Hi Bjorn, I noticed my Laney L5t is becoming a little noisy. Could be the tubes, they are stock TAD from 2007, or maybe not. My Strat is completely shielded and I use good cables from Reference plugged straight into the amp, so I can’t think about anything else. Any suggestion? Are the TAD’s good tubes or would you swap them for your favorite jj’s anyway? I think you did the same for your L20t, didn’t you?
Always many questions, sorry :)
Cheers,
Luca
Cheers, Luca :) I always replace the tubes when I get something new. I prefer the JJs so it’s just something I do. TADs are very good but they do sound a bit different from JJs. It’s about taste. 2007 is a bit old. At least for the output tubes. It depends on how much you play and how hard you drive the amp but a good rule is to swap the tubes once a year or at least be aware of any changes in the tone once a year. What kind of noise are you experiencing?
The amp is one of the very first built in 2007 and the previous owner told me that he didn’t use it much so he left the stock tubes. The amp feature a pronounced hum effect and with hi-gain pedals, especially with the RAT, it become microphonic. I can hear the backing tracks go back from the near monitor into the amp :( But it could be a problem of ground loops?
Thanks for your help Bjorn!
Cheers,
Luca
These things are always hard to tell when you’re not standing in front of the amp. Hum could be a number of things and a gain pedal will always amplify that. I’d go to the whole chain and make sure that all the cables and powering is OK. Make sure that the pedalboard and amp aren’t on the same circuit as your computer, fridge, TV etc. Plug the guitar straight into the amp using a cable you know is working. Add one pedal at a time to see of any of those are causing the noise. If nothing solves the problem then I’d take the amp to a tech.
Bjorn, I did some tests with the guitar plugged straight in the amp with a high quality cable (Reference RICS01, if you like to check these out) as you suggest, and the amp seems ok. When I turn on the hi-fi or the pc monitors in the same room some problems appears and the gain pedals make the amp more susceptible and noisier. So, I have no idea how to put the amp and pedals on another circuit in my house and I’m thinking to use a better power supply for pedals with isolated outputs, could it be a solution? Anyway, thanks for the help!
Cheers,
Luca
Could be a power issue but I assume you’re sitting close to your computer and it seems that your guitar is picking up on the noise generated by the electrical components. There’s really no other way to get around this than to turn away from them.
Dear Bjorn!
Pairing in stereo setup with my formerly mentioned HIWATT Custom Little D(with 1×12 Fane AXA loaded Marshall cab) 20W Head, I hunted for a smaller combo. I have found it finally:
It is from TONE KING Amplifiers(USA) and it is its FALCON modell, 12w, 1×10 Emince Patriot(Ragin Cajun) speaker, and with a built in fantastic and silent Ironman atenuator! It is not cheap, BUT, it has got the clean with the chime:-)
Headroom is great, eats my whole pedalboard, works very well with Big Muff pedal too!
Works perfectly in bedroom, at home, studio, and on smaller venues too!
I have found almost the same HIWATT sound in it:-)
Probably TONE KING’s other modells are great too, especially the bigger IMPERIAL MKII. 20W, with built atenuator too! Review is available in Guitarist magazin actual No. 393 issue
Highly recommended for Gilmourish community!
Yours friendly:Gábor
Thanks for sharing! I’ve only tried the Imperial and it sounded really great :)
Hi Bjorn —
Thanks again so much for this site! I find myself studying and re-studying stuff to really take it all in, and that is a real pleasure! :-)
I have gathered the funds for my Gilmourish bedroom setup amp. I have narrowed my choices to 3: the Laney Cub, the Laney Lionheart, and the Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 18 head + cabinet (which cabinet do you use, btw?).
My pedal setup will include a Buffalo-FX Evolution (on the way!), a Buffalo-FX Power Boost, and compressor (maybe the Iron Fist?) and a delay, chorus, and univibe to be named later. I will be building this kit as I go, and my opening hand will be the Buffalo-FX Evolution + Amp (I can add the other effects in my DAW [Digital Performer + Reason] for now).
My goal is to get the same lethal tone you got on your Evolution demo in a bedroom setup with a volume that won’t frighten my kids whilst they are asleep.
I notice you do a lot of your YouTube Demos with the H&K, and I love the way they sound. I am leaning that way, but obviously the Cub would be cheaper, and you’ve raved about the Lionheart. My guess is that the H&K sounds closest to the Reeves you played on the demo.
I can afford any of them (phew!), so I am all ears as to your suggestions. Thanks for your help! karl
Btw, I notice you replaced the tubes in the H&K right away. What did you replace them with, and where did you go to buy them? Did you change tubes or mod the others as well (I think you changed speakers in the Laney Cub, yes?)? Thanks!
I don’t remember what the stock tubes were. Some cheap China stuff I think. They sounded sterile and bright. I replaced them with a full set of JJ Electronics, which has more headroom and an overall warmer and more dynamic tone. I use JJs in all my tube applications. The Laney cab feature V30s.
Got it — so you would replace the tubes in anything (the Cub, the Lionheart, and the H&K) with the JJs? Great tip! Given that price is not an object do you have a recommendation between these three amps: the JJ modded Cub [with the speaker upgrades], a JJ modded Lionheart, or a JJ modded H&K [did you change the speakers in the cabs there as well?]. I won’t hold you to anything — it just would be a help for me to get a clearer sense, esp. because testing a floor model won’t tell me all I need to know. Thanks!
See my other reply.
Hi Karl! The Reeves is obviously too loud for a bedroom and although the Lionheart is one of my favourite amps at the moment it too is a bit too much for a small bedroom. The H&K is a modern amp. There’s nothing vintage about it but what I like is its ability to take any pedal you throw at it and it sounds very warm, fat and dynamic even at the lowest volume levels, which is what you want for your bedroom setup. The Cub is great but I personally think the H&K is a better amp. Both in terms of build and tone. The clean channel of the H&K is OK alone but sounds very fizzy with pedals. I using the 5w scaling and the gain channel set all clean. That’s what you hear on most of my recent clips :)
Cool! What cab do you use with the H&K and did you replace the speakers? Thanks for the help — I’m delighted to be on my way here. :-)
I’m using the old Cub 2×12″ cabinet that I’ve loaded with Celestion V30s. It’s an open back cab, which isn’t ideal for the V30s, at least not for me, but it works nicely on my small home studio. I think the stock H&K cab is also loaded with V30s… or at least some Celestions.
Hi Bjorn — I unexpectedly got to play a Lionheart 5W yesterday with an EH Muff and a Soul Food (both by itself and as a clean boost), and it rocked! :-) I plugged into both channels — the high and the lo. I got great sounds out of both, and the lo channel with a Soul Food cranked gave great tone and reasonable volume! Hats off to Aboslute Music in Fairborn Ohio for all their help!
You are right: H&K sells a 2×12 with V30s.
I have got this all narrowed down to the Laney Lionheart 5W and the Tubemeister 18 Head + the 2×12 V30 cab. If you have any last suggestions on this, let me know. I do feel I’ve got the gist thanks to you!
I am going to taste test the H&K sometime in the near future. The H&K + Cab is about $1200, and I can get the Laney for about $800.
My gut sense is that the H&K is the better choice. I’ll know after playing it — I sure love the tones you get from it!
I cannot thank you enough for your help in getting this narrowed down to this point — it is a huge help. When my Evolution arrives and I get my amp, I shall take my first step to Tone Nirvana! :-) Karl
Cheers, Karl! Hard to choose really. The Lionheart is a true vintage amp while the H&K has a modern character. I guess it depends on taste and whether or not you’ll be playing shows. The Lionheart may be a bit too small for playing live but the H&K is fully capable of that. Personally, I’d go for the Lionheart.
After playing the Lionheart, I can see why! After thinking it over, I actually think I will choose that, if for no other reason than it will let me support my local music shop. :-) I’m good on amps, OD/Fuzz (my Evolution is being made now), so my next quest is for Boosters and Delays. I’ll be back in touch when I can afford them. :-)
Thanks Bjorn — you are a prince! :-)
Cheers!
Hi Bjorn,
Adding my own question to this. Just wondering why you would personally take the Lionheart, but most of your videos I have seen you are using the Tubemeister?
Just curios as I am also looking to buy the Lionheart I think.
Thanks,
Pat
I record most of the clips in my home studio. The Lionheart are in our bigger rehearsal studio :)
Hi Bjorn!
I have the chance to get a brand new Mesa Boogie Mark V combo with a huge discount (real huge). I didn’t consider buying that amp since it’s really expensive but the discount makes it impossible not to consider.
Among its large virtues I outstand its versatility. That’s something I truly need since I play many different styles which require different sound/tone approaches. Mark V several channels bring me that versatility.
But I was wondering, though I truly need that versatility, what I enjoy mostly is when I play through the clean channel with my beloved pedals Shine on, Have a cigar, Dogs… from certain british band (I guess you have heard of them) :-) Is it possible to obtain some Gilmourish sounds through Mesa Boogie Mark V clean channel with pedals?
I truly appreciate your opinion. Please, tell me something so as to help me make up my mind.
Thanks a lot and… shine on Bjorn!
Toni
I haven’t tried the amp my self. Only the previous IV. From what I’ve read and heard, it’s an incredibly versatile amp and much more so than the previous models. The clean channel is Fender-sih although a bit more boutique. The second channel is typical Marshall, while the last venture into rectifier heavy distortion territory. Based on that I would say it’s a versatile amp and probably a great basis for pedals.
Hey Bjorn, I was curious. Have you ever run a bass through your Laney Cub?
I’m on a guitar forum and one of the guys mentions that he does that, and seeing as how I’ve been wanting one anyways, I’d be tempted to buy the head and just get a bass cab, but I’m curious how it sounds with bass. One of the guys I know who does it, uses an old Fender Champ with a bass cab and he said it sounds good, but I also know that the old Tweed Fenders are a bit brighter tone-wise than the Cub which is more dark British…
I’ve never tried that. It does have a Marshall/Hiwatt flavour to it, which I would imagine would work nicely with a bass.
Hey Bjorn,
Have you tried or know anything about the Hiwatt Little D Rig they came out with I think last year. Looks like it has a built in power scalling option down to .5w which would be great for bedroom volume. Wonder how it takes pedals.
From Hiwatt.com:
Hiwatt Signature Series Little D Rig
The Hiwatt Little D rig is based on the amplifier modified by Pete Cornish for David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. The Little D featured 3 inputs, normal, brilliant and linked. the linked input allowing users to blend the tone of the normal and brilliant channels. The Hiwatt Little D rig comes complete with a scaled down 1×12 fane loaded WEM Starfinder cabinet and is perfect for home, studio and live use.
• 3 inputs Normal, Brilliant and Linked
• Class A
• 20/0.5W Switchable
• EL84 + ECC83 Valve Configuration
• Starfinder Fane 1×12 Cabinet
As always thanks for the info!
Kris
I haven’t tried it so I can’t tell about the tone. I’m sure it’s a nice little amp though and it should go very well with pedals. I have commented on this amp earlier and what I don’t like is that it looks like a marketing scam by Hiwatt. They make it seem like a Gilmour signature model, which it’s not. It’s not even similar to the Cornish modded Hiwatts because I don’t think anyone apart from Cornish, Taylor and Gilmour knows what those mods are. The linked input is fine but that’s very common and not a Gilmour invention. The WEM cab is also a scam. It’s not anything near the old Startfinder cabinets. Anyway, that aside, there’s no reason why this amp won’t sound great :)
Hi Bjørn!
Thanks a lot for your fantastic site and all your effort put in to it. It does wonders for all of us!
Regarding the HiWatt little D:
I understand your position regarding HiWatt’s marketing “fraud”.
You wrote in another comment that you will not test or write about it because of that.
Since it is doesn’t have anything to do with David and he is not endorsing it.
But isn’t that also true regarding all the other Amps you have written about and testet.
They maybe use different marketing focus and promisses, like this will give you the ultimate tone or capture an erea or style etc.
HiWatt only says Little D is based on. Not a copy or replica of Davids gear. Based on one of the other Amps in theire line.
So the “fraud” is not huge.
Almost all the other brands out there having stuff that’s known to influence Davids tone in one way or the other, use that fact, or claim, in theire marketing one way or the other usually.
Who knows? Maybe Little D actually will give you DG tone and feel in a studio/bedroom setup?
Would it not be fair, IF you have the possibility, to review it based on it’s tone and features? Not on it’s marketing words only?
You have a gift in describing what you hear. And when I have a bought equipment based on your reviews it normaly fits well with your descriptions.
So I know that a review from you is with Gilmour tone in mind and it gives us a common frame set of description, vocabulary and comparasin.
Maybe you by the power of your site can reveal to the world that it is a fraud, tone wise as well, if that is the case.
Or maybe it actually is a gem for Gilmour fans, even if Gilmour is not endorsing it?
I think it will be highly appreciated among your readers to see a unbiased review on this.
Keep up the good work!
“In Bjørn we trust”
BR
Bjørnar
Hi Bjørnar, thanks for your comment! You make a fair point but let me explain. When Hiwatt first presented the Little D a few years back, I think it was during a NAMM show, they made no mistake in linking it to David Gilmour. I understand why they did that, obviously it will cause some attention, but I think they mislead guitarists and Gilmour fans, or at least some, in believing that it was an endorsement, which it’s not.
Now, I don’t have any interests in the Gilmour camp and I’m not trying to defend Gilmour or speak on his behalf in any way but I think their initial marketing was a fraud.
Based on that, I think it would be wrong of me to review the amp. The way I see it, it could potentially harm the integrity of my site and my opinion about gear. Perhaps I’m paranoid and stupid but I’ve always had a policy that I never review anything unless I choose to do so and, that whatever I do review is something that I can stand by 100%, which is not the case if you’re a magazine or sponsored blog. Gilmourish is neither.
I also hope that people understand that I’m in no position to just review tons and tons of gear. For one, not all gear is available here in Norway. Second, I’m certainly in no position whatsoever, to spend money on gear just for a review. I either got things sent to me or I borrow.
What I have been saying in every comment is that I think they did a poor marketing job but regardless of that, I’m sure the amp sound killer and I urge everyone interested in trying it and look for reviews. I know there is a debate out there about Hiwatt’s current quality and state but they make some good stuff and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Little D sounds great.
What are your thoughts on the Fender Supersonic tube amp (coupled with custom Strats and LP’s)?
I haven only tried the 22 very briefly. It’s very similar to the Deluxe Reverb, with a classic Fender tone. I liked the cleans and it goes very well with pedals. The gain was a bit harsh for my taste. Nice amp for both bedrooms and medium sized venues.
I was just looking at the list of amps above. (Way above when you are down here at the bottom of the comments. :) I notice you have no Vox amplifiers. Since they are fairly mid heavy, wouldn’t they make a good choice for Gilmour tones? Or is there another characteristic that makes them unsuitable? I’m looking at a Vox AC-15. I play in a bunch of different bands and I need something extremely versatile. With the Vox, I’ll get good U2, Queen, and Switchfoot tones since they all use Vox amplifiers. But Gilmour is the odd man out in regards to amp choice. Above, you mention the H&K Tubemeister 18. I’ve seen you use one on the Sorrow jamming video and it sounds spot on. Will the Tubemeister be able to give me good Gilmour tones and tones for those mentioned above? Or will a Vox do the job for Gilmour tones?
Thanks,
Matt
Vox can certainly cover Gilmour’s tones but personally I’m not a huge fan. I think they’re just too aggressive in the sense that even set all clean there’s really nothing subtle about the tone. Also, I think the typical AC30 needs to be played loud to really shine, meaning full tube and speaker saturation/distortion. That’s not what you want for your pedals. It does have a nice middy character but this presence also depends on the way you set the treble and bass controls. Increase these and you get a very scooped tone. The H&K has a modern tone that perhaps lies closer to Marshall than Fender but what I like about it it that is has a very pristine tone, which goes well with pedals and, it sounds great on bedroom and home studio settings :)
Dear All! I ended up with buying a BRUNETTI SINGLEMAN combo! it has great headroom and tonal variety.
it is a single channel master volume clean amp you can select 1/4/16 watt or 2/4/35 watt. is dealing with all pedals very very well.
I can harldy recommend it. very transparent tones which can be adjusted to taste in many ways.
Thanks for the tip!
Hey Bjorn, Well, a lot has happened since we last spoke… You’ve become a solo star & We are just coming out of the coldest winter in 20 yrs. here in the NE US. Had a question, if you ever tried a Mesa express 5-50. I have the chance to get one fairly cheap and was wondering how Gilmourish it would sound coupled to my 1960 Marshall 4×12. P.S. glad to see you’ve liked the Nova delay…with your help i’ve been enjoying mine for months now.
Thank you for all your work as always, Keith M.
Hi Keith! The 5-50 has an unmistakable Fender character, similar to a Twin. Still, it’s much more than that and, IMO, a more versatile amp all together. Goes great with most pedals. I’m not sure how it will pair up with a Marshall cab although I think the combo feature a Celestion speaker.
Thank you Bjorn. Your knowledge is 2nd to none! I will pick up the amp this weekend and let you know how i make out {& probably bug you for some use tips}
Thanks again, Keith M.
Feel free to do so :)
Hi Bjorn,
I’ve got the same amp. When you say “most pedals” do you mean “even Buffalo FX and Effectrode stuff” ?
Thanks,
Lore
Depends on how picky you are tonewise. Fuzz and some Big Muffs might not sound as Gilmourish as if they were paired with a Hiwatt or something similar but it can handle the more versatile stuff like the Buffalo Evolution and TDX, Wampler PlexiDrive etc.
I wanted to point something out to other people here on this board. I had been looking at this amp for over 6 months and finally purchased via online here in the US in February. I received the amp last week, but noticed a few things which concerned me.
I want people here on this board to know that during that time, Laney’s specs had changed for the Laney L5T-112, please see below:
1. They went from a British made Heritage Greenback to a Chinese Made Celestion 70th Anniversary G12H-30. 2. Amp is “designed and engineered in the UK”, but now built in China.
3. They changed the reverb from a type 4 large spring line reverb to a digital reverb.
4. It comes with a serial effects loop with a -10db/0db/bypass switch
The speaker change and reverb change greatly concerned me. I am getting most of my reverb from a Strymon Lex and BlueSky, so I can live with that. But I wanted the option of a real tank reverb. The speaker was another concern. So after much research I called Celestion and spoke to a well known US rep. My concerns for the speaker have been lessened after the 15 minute call, as well as a lot of online research. If worse comes to worse and the speaker doesn’t work out, I can replace it.
I have an email out to customer support at Laney with a number of questions. Have not gotten a response yet, but I will follow up here once I hear from them. Just wanted everyone here to be aware of the changes. The US sites selling these amps still have the old specs and have not updated their web sites. That is also disappointing.
Once I hear from Laney I will make a decision whether to keep the amp or send it back. Kind of on the bridge and feeling a little duped with the bait and switch.
Thanks for the info, David!
Hi Bjorn
I read Gilmourish every week.
I vant decide which amp should buy.
H&K tubemeister 18 or Lionheart L5.
I Only play at home. Which has the most hedroom?
Will it be any difference IF I plug in an extra speaker?
For example 112 or 212 or maybe 2×112.
Best regande
Thomas Johansson
Hi Thomas! They’re two very different sounding amps. The Laney has a warm vintage character. Kind of a mix between a Vox AC30 and those early Marshall JTMs. The 5w has more than enough headroom for pedals and a bedroom setup. The H&K doesn’t really sound like anything else. It’s modern and pristine, with lots of headroom.
Hi Bjorn,
Thank you for your quick answer. Do you think i will get more headroom if i
connect a Lionheart Cabinet LT-212 to the Lionheart L5T-112? Is the Laney more
Gilmourish than the H&K Tubemeister? Thanks again for your website. It,s a
goldmine for a true Pink Floyd fan.
Thanks again!
Thomas Johansson
Probably. You’d be able to push the amp a bit more without getting speaker breakup. The Laney is definitely a more vintage sounding amp so in that sense I guess it’s more Gilmourish of the two.
Hello Bjorn,
I love the new site and I appreciate your dedication to the art of everything Gilmour. Quick question. I read your comments regarding the Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 18 head and I was wondering if you have tried the Hughes & Kettner TM18/12 TubeMeister 18W 1×12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp. I currently have a Peavey Classic 30 but I am looking at something that has the scaling abilities (1w or 5w).
Thanks for everything.
Hi Carlos! Yes, it sounds very much like the head. You can get a bit more headroom with the head I guess, depending on what cab you use with it. It’s a very nice bedroom/home recording studio amp, with the scaling and all and it also maintains a rich character even at the very lowest volume levels. You should use the gain channel with pedals though, as the clean makes everything sound very fizzy.
Hi Bjorn,
First I want to say thanks! for finding the time & energy sharing lots of infos, you are awesome! Ok just got my Laney Cub 12r with the HH speakers (combo) base from your recommendation (you should get something from LANEY! lol) and she’s perfectly paired with my strat. Have you got issues with it now yours is probably 3 or 4 years old?, reading . I got a matched pair oj JJ EL84s and just waiting for the JJ 12ax7.
Cheers!
Hi Allan! No issues with my CUB so far :)
Hey Bjorn – I wanted to share my amp experience with you, but also the commenters on this page. As you do, I love to get a great transparent EQ sounding clean tone with plenty of headroom. I use 3 amps, but many times just use one depending on the venue, etc. – MODDED Fender Blues Junior, Rivera Chubster 40, and a Hiwatt Custom 50. The Rivera(Modded with a Weber Thames and EA speaker cable) and the Hiwatt are clean and transparent, but have a nice midrange bump so you can dial in some modern Gilmour, but also have the flexibility of getting more spongy mid sounds. If you are looking for just more than Gilmour tone, the mids with the combo of a Tube Driver or SS-3 etc can help you achieve that SRV type tone, etc.
Now, to the more important piece: the Blues Junior. The stock version of the amp is OK. But the tone stack with the speaker, transformer, board, wasn’t very much to my liking. Plus the Fat switch just didn’t sound right to me. For anyone who has that amp, and wants a more versatile version that can do Gilmour, but also a more tamed Vox AC30 sound for the middy sound with your overdrives :
1 – Fargen Hot Mods Super Sustain MOD– basically a cap/resistor replacement for a more authentic tone stack, plus Mercury output transformer. Evidence Audio speaker cable. Combined, makes a world of difference.
2 – Swapped speaker for a Weber Thames. Really a different sound. Great midrange, tight lows.
3 – Swapped tubes for JJs. Pretty typical on this forum.
The most impt pieces are the transformer, speaker, and cable in my opinion.
This amp really shines now. The tone stack sweep is not huge, but for Gilmour stuff, it’s perfect. The big bonus here is the Fat switch is now sounding much better. You can really cop a nice VOX AC 30 cleanish sound with the Fat engaged. While I love love love Gilmour’s tone, I have to admit when you dial in a more mid based cleanish tone right on the edge of breakup (with the FAT switch), with a Tube Driver, SS-3 (or anything with transparent or scooped mids), the tone is to die for with a Strat with vintage single coils. It’s not a Gilmour authentic tone; it just makes your sound palette much more vast for those who like the TS mid hump pedal sound. It’s spongy, punchy. Really adds versatility to the Tube Driver base tone stack in my opinion.
To me, it turns the Blues Junior into a great two channel amp. The traditional mid scooped Fender sound, and a more wirey, mid based Vox/Hiwatt sound. So for those looking for 2 cleanish tone palettes for a strat, this is what works for me.
Now I do realize that you can do this with an EQ pedal, a Mid Boost pedal, an OD with a mid hump, or even the EMG DG-20 pickups, but isn’t it nice when you can do that with just your amp and vintage single coil guitar, and save space on your pedalboard? LOL. I have become a minimalist as a get older as a guitarist.
Just food for thought for all of you that are looking for versatile amps that handle Gilmour tone and beyond.
Thanks a lot for sharing, Jerome!
Hej Bjorn, thx again for the endless amount of info. Really appreciated.
Have you ever played bandmasters? What are your thoughts about these amps?
Best,
Didi
Very briefly. It’s somewhat similar to the Bassman and Showman heads, perhaps the Bassman 100 in particular, with a warm tone and lots of headroom.
Hi Bjorn,
My amp is Wem dominator III Recently the sound has been on and off while I’m playing.
A friend told me it might be the tubes. My question is do you have recommendations which tubes types and brand that I can buy to replace the old tubes?
Btw what do you think of Vox ac4tv amp? Im also looking for a second amp that can be played in my office.
Thanks
Sounds like the tubes. Could be a number of things but tubes are a good place to start. I swear by JJ Electronic for all my tube amps and pedals.
Hi Bjorn, great web for all is a place full of tips like a paradise guitar player. Bjorn i like to know your opinion about the Egnater Tweaker amp (15w)… and what you think about the vox ac4tv amp… thanks
I don’t have much experience with Egnater but they get a lot of praise. Both amps are great for practice and bedrooms I guess. Both are in that AC territory, although the Egnater has a few other options as well and it’s perhaps a more versatile amp.
Hi Bjorn!
What do you think of Laney VC15-110? Lionheart series seem to be a kind of VC made of better components. But you may find VC15 a lot cheaper used and it is a great pedal platform with “voxy” type of clean sound (and some overdrive too, though I wouldn’t take the overdrive seriously). It also has a Jensen speaker.
What do you think of it?
Thanks!
I’ve never been much a Vox fan and the Lionheart is much more versatile than the VC I think. The clean channel is very similar to a Vox but the gain channel is more like a Marshall. But, the VC is a great Vox amp and if that’s your thing, then they’re well worth checking out :)
Thanks for the advice on my HK Bjorn! Thought I’d run it by you since you have one. I ended up bringing the head in to my local amp repair shop here in IL to take a look. Figure mine as well since its under warranty. They tech there seemed to think something may be wrong since it hums with nothing plugged into it. We shall see.
On your HK 18 tubmeister what are your settings for the EQ and lead channel? I had mine at Base, Treble, Mid at 12:00. Lead Channel volume maxed and Gain at 8:00 or so.
About the same as I. I tweak the EQs a bit depending on the guitar but I usually keep all three at noon, with perhaps the treble rolled down a tad.
Which is better in the below: for gilmourish sound as i am extremely tight on my budget:
Laney CUB10
Laney CUB8
VOX AC4TV
Fender Vibro Champ
Fender Champ 600
I’d go for the Cub10.
Hey Bjorn, do u think the Lionheart could also cover those Beatles Abbey Road tones? Fenders are so expensive here that a Laney Lionheart 20 combo is almost the same as a Blues jr..
Cheers!
Definitely. The clean channel has a nice AC30 vibe to it.
Hi Bjorn,
I think I have asked you about this before, but thought I would get your opinion on it. I bought my Hughes and Ketner 18 head and 1×12 Hughes and Ketner cabinet a few months back and ended up swapping the head for new one after a month of trying to unsucessfully daignose a noticable low humm/buzz when the volume on the lead channel is cranked with the gain at 8-9:00 or so. On my new head it has the same issue only the buzz/hum is maybe less loud on the lead channel. The humm/buzz increases of course as I turn the gain up on that channel. The clean channel with volume and gain cranked is dead silent. I have checked the tubes power and preamp, they are fine, and even replaced them with JJ’s and still have that same low hum/buzz only on the lead channel. I have quality cables evidence siren speaker, and evidence guitar cables as well plugged into a furman power surge. There are no tv’s/cell phones/florecent lights in the room. I’ve checked other outlets in my house and have the same issue. This low hum/buzz occurs even when nothing is plugged into the amp. Plugging my guitar and pedalboard in has no effect on the low hum/buzz. Not sure If I should look into getting the EHX hum debugger, ebtech hum x, tripp lite power isolator etc. or this is just normal for this amp considering this is the second one I have had with this. Do you have any experience with these hum eliminating devices or can recommend one? As always thank you in advance and good luck at your shows. Maybe someday you can come to Chicago :)
Hi Kris! I don’t remember what I answered last time but I don’t have this issue with mine. Using the gain channel will probably make the amp pick up or amplify more whatever noise there is since the gain channel has less headroom and a more active preamp (I’m sure there is a better way to explain this). Could be that the amp is picking up a low frequency hum in your house’s electricity system or a generator nearby. It could be a number of things and almost impossible to suggest something without having seen your home and nearby surroundings. A power conditioner of some sort might help. I don’t have much experience with these but it should help if the problem reside outside of the amp.
Hey Bjorn,
I am purchasing the Laney cub stack. But the cub cab is out of stock everywhere. I was wondering if there is a different cab that would go just as well with the cub head? Or would i be better just waiting it out?
Actually, the stock speakers aren’t that good so you could basically go with any 2×12″ cab. Celestion V30s sounds great with it.
Do you think a 1×12 with a single 60w V30 would have enough headroom?
Combined with what amp and pickups?
laney cub head and emg dg20 pups. I actually just ordered a orange 2×12, loaded with celestion V30. But still, out of curiosty, how would a 1×12 with a single v30 handle it?
Very well, I think.
Hey Bjorn!
I need your help now, more than ever! I am selling my Lionheart L20H and one guy suggested we traded it for an Earth Sound Research built in 1971!
Do you have any idea or experience with these? From one (and only video I ‘ve found) it sounds interesting, plus it has EL34’s in power-amp section. The only problem is I can’t hear it myself because he’s not near me at all.
http://smart.noiz.gr/details.php?id=234578 That’s the amp in a greek site, but you can see at least some photos!
Great job with the site by the way, now I ‘ve got some reason to start reading all over again!
video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x32cdSKl3g8
Never had any experience with these amps myself so I can’t really comment on it. I think Earth Sound mainly produced clones of contemporary amps but I don’t have much info to go by.
I see…
Not much info on the net either, but the guy said it’s a 100watt amp! I was thinking of giving the L20 for something lower in wattage cause I can’t fully use it (bedroom playing and recordings), maybe I ‘ll trade it with one that told me today about a 5watt Lionheart.
1) Does the 5watt combo, handle all of these demanding pedals well as the 20watt?
2) Can you achieve tube breakup on the clean channel without driving the neighboors mad?
The 5w goes well with most pedals. It’s loud though so you might want to either use the drive channel or an attenuator.
Just one hour with it! I can crank it with no issues, much more fun than the 20watts played at 1/10 volume! Great one!
Awesome!
Hi Bjorn, nice new website! Any thoughts on Fender Hotrod DeVille?
Thanks! Nice amp. It’s solid state but you got that classic Fender tone. It might be a bit loud for bedrooms though but great for rehearsals and smaller stages.
Hmm, thanks, it looks like the Laney is leaning towards me. Thank you very much Bjorn, cheers
I don’t think you’ll be disappointed :)
Hello Bjorn!
What’s your opinion about Vox Ac 4 Tv ?
Thank you sincerely!
I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t really comment on it. Depends on how you’ll be using the amp and what tones you’re looking for. It’s a small amp so you shouldn’t expect a huge tone and lots of headroom but I’m sure it’s nice for practice and bedrooms.
Hello Bjorn! Im really loving the new design, congrats on that! Hope you don’t mind, but I got a question regarding amps… I’ve narrowed my search down to the Laney Lionheart 20 Combo and the Peavey Classic 30.. Im searching for a powerful vintage-ish tone that works as a great basis for my pedals, with enough headroom for small gigs (mic-ed) Both combos cost the same in my country.. which one would you recommend? Something tells me that the Laney is better.. but your opinion would be great!
Thank you sincerely!
Depends on what tones you want :) The Peavey is great but it sounds like a Peavey, which means that it’s loud and very aggressive (although with a huge headroom). The Laney is much more vintage sounding IMO, warmer and smoother. I’m very fond of the Lionhearts but the Peavey makes a versatile all-round amp too :)
Sweet! Thanks!
Hey Bjorn,
I’m in the market for a new tube amp, and amongst other tones, I’d like it to be able to nail Gilmour as well as possible. Since neighbours are something to consider, I was looking at either the Vox AC4HW or the Blues Junior NOS Tweed. Any thoughts on these amps? I’ve noticed you’re not exactly a Vox kind of guy, but that AC4 is handwired and sounds awesome for everything else I need.
Also, what’s the difference tone-wise between the normal and the Tweed Blues Junior?
Thanks,
Paul
[I think the Blues Jr are more suited for David’s tones. I haven’t tried the new Tweed but I think the main difference is that the stock feature a fairly bright sounding Eminence speaker, while the Tweed is loaded with a vintage voiced Jensen, which should sound a bit warmer. – Bjorn]
How do you like the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III? Is it a good choice for Gilmour tones? Will it do Wall and Dark Side tones?
[Classic Fender :) Goes very well with Dark Side especially. Wall is more of a Hiwatt album but you shouldn’t have any problems getting the tones you want… depending on what pickups and pedals you use :) – Bjorn]
No problems Keith :D – I’ve had to get reading glasses myself. Now I feel really old…
Well, the Cub 12’s preamp is cathode biased. Those tubes are the ones I’ve replaced now with JJ’s, and they work very well. I haven’t replaced the power tubes yet – and from what I’ve been able to find out, they are voltage biased. Still, from what I’ve read, people agree with what Bjørn says that as long as you replace them with a matched pair of the same model, you’ll most likely be fine. I will probably switch out the speaker before I consider the power tubes, though – I’d like something a bit louder and brighter – or sparklier or a little more twangy or something. Hard to describe these things properly :D
Hi Ho Bjorn,
I was thinking about the Lionheart. I am not sure whether to get the 5watt or 20watt.
With the CUB12r I use the 15watt input and crank the volume to 7. Will the 5 watt be loud enough? Does it also have enough headroom for the Butler Tube Driver?
I want to get the 5watter as I want to crank it and in live situations it is always mic’d so I don’t have to worry about the amp being super loud. I am just worried about volume and headroom.
Just wondering if I will be better off getting the 20watt. Price isn’t really an issue. Just thinking that the 20watt might be too loud for home.
If I get the 20watt Lionheart I’d want a combo just so it is easier to carry to gig and practice but is the stack a lot better? I see that you highly recommend the stack.
Thanks again Bjorn.
[I haven’t done an A/B between the Lionheart 5w and Cub but the Lionheart is pretty loud. I think however that you would struggle with the headroom. Especially since you’ll be using pedals. I’m not sure how loud you want it on stage but in any case, I think the 20w is a better buy. It’s very loud but it sounds great even on the very lowest volume so no worry for using it at home. You’d also have an amp better equipped for different venues. – Bjorn]
Oh, that’s good to know!! Hearing that the Weber Thames has decent headroom and the fact that I like simple things, I may go with the 12r 1×12 combo and switch to the Thames. I could always add an extension 2×12 for more headroom later. How is the reverb on the 12r? I’ve heard guys say that the reverb kinda sucks. I’m betting the 12 (non-r version) might be a little cheaper and I’m saving up for a Red Panda Context anywho… Thoughts on the reverb?
[It’s digital and OK. Nothing more. If you like reverb you’re better off with a dedicated pedal like the TC Hall of Fame. – Bjorn]
Sorry Arne, eyes aren’t great, time for glasses! I thonk the Cub is Cathode biased, I asked Bjorn about both the cub, and Lionheart, and he said they were both cathode biased, but the Laney site will tell you. As for how to tell what Ruby’s are, I went to one of the tube sales sites, and while I can’t remember that particular site, I’ve seen the info on several sites, try Googling the Ruby tube by the number, and that may tell you who makes that particular tube. I kniw that the Ruby’s in my little Tubescreamer amp were rebranded JJ ecc83 or 13AX7s. But the big tube dealers sites usually tell the company the Ruby’s are really made by. I hope that helps, and ask Bjorn, but I’m sure he said the Cub is Cathode, or self biasing.
Peace, Keith
[Hi guys. I think maybe I was mistaken about the Cub. The Lionheart is indeed cathode but the Cub12 might need biasing. I changed the tubes when I got it years ago but I can’t remember if I did the bias or not. The Cub 8 and 10 are cathode but I think the 12 needs adjustment. Still, as long as you get matched pairs and the right model, it shouldn’t be necessary to adjust the bias. – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn!
Happy New Year! I just wanted to say (first) that this site because of your thoroughness you don’t often get with certain other people who review guitars and gear, you’ve kinda become my go-to guy for opinions and objectiveness for gear and reviews! Proguitarshop does awesome too, but between you two, that’s where I’m at. Haha.
Sorry if this has already been asked but the comment section here is HUGE for the amp buyer’s guide. I was wondering if you have ever tried your CUB 12 head (which I decided is my next amp for sure) through other cabs than the Laney Cub cab? I know you’ve said that a 2×12 gives it some balls, but I was wondering about a 1×12 or 4×10 even. I want a cab when I get one of the heads (possibly in the next month or so) with some Weber Thames, but I wasn’t sure between 1-/2×12’s. How about open-backed or close-backed cabs? Any thoughts there?
[Hi Jason! Thanks for your kind words! The Cub sounds great through a 1×12, say a V30 or similar. You really get that British crunch :) I’ve never tried it with 10″s. I do think that a 2×12″ is a better match though. It gives you a bit more headroom and an overall more open and dynamic tone. Especially if you intend to use it for the occasional gig. The Weber Thames has a lot of headroom though so I guess a 1×12 would do the job. – Bjorn]
@Keith: Thanks for the info – much appreciated! (btw it’s Arne, not Anne – you’re confusing me with some woman :P).
Just changed the stock Ruby preamp tubes for JJ’s – and it absolutely had the desired effect. A bit more headroom, and a nicer crunch when I upped the gain a bit. They may be a tad darker. I’m going to play around with this for a while, maybe I’ll switch out the speaker and the power tubes (which I don’t think are cathode biased – gotta do some more research). BTW – how can you tell who manufactured those Rubys? I didn’t see anything obvious on mine – is there a serial# or production code there?
Greetings, Bjorn. Love your work both as a solo artist and in Airbag. I want to know if you have tried the Egnater Rebel 20. If you have tried it, what are your thoughts on it: being that it’s (or promoted as) “British-voiced”, is it similar to the Hiwatts, Marshall, Vox, Laney, etc? Is it pedal-friendly? Does it have a lot of clean headroom or does the power section distort early? Thanks.
[Hi Alex! Thanks for your kind words! I’ve never tried that amp so I can’t really comment on it. – Bjorn]
This is in response to Anne’s Tube post: You are correct Anne, Ruby’s are branded tubes made by many companies, including JJ,( I had Ruby branded JJ 12ax7s in one of my amps). However many Ruby output tubes are made by Shuguang, and to my ears, the Shuguang EL34s,( Ruby branded), that were stock in my Reeves Custom 50 were excellent tubes. Like Bjorn, I think that as far as new tubes go, JJ makes a great, and consistant product, and when I change the tubes in my Reeves, I will use JJs, unless I hit the lottery, in which case I will buy all NOS Mullards. As far as not touching the tubes, the oils and moisture from your fingers, on the glass, can cause catastropkic failure of tubes, so I generally handle the glass with the thin paper in the box the tube comes in. However, I’ve touched the glass, and installed tubes with no gloves or paper, and then used a chamois to wipe the glass off, and haven’t had any issues doing it that way, but better to be safe, than waste a matched set of tubes. Just get the tubes you want, and plug them in, cathode biasing is a wonderful thing, not needing any biasing, and even after 35 years of tube amps, I still pay $60 to have a professional bias my manually biased amps. Hope this is of some help.
Peace, Keith
Hey Bjorn, did some research on that Laney I had, and it was a Pro Tube 100 AOR, 8 knob version. It was based loosely on the JCM 800, but had an extra gain stage, and the ability to take one tube offline to get a high headroom clean. Only problem was, once I gave it the Townshend treatment, there weren’t any techs in the states who knew anything about working on them, so a friend got it working a little, and I sold it to a pawn shop. Laney stopped selling them in the states fairly soon after, and that’s the; nly one I ever saw, but when it was working, it was a MONSTER!!!
PEACE, Keith
[Must have sounded awesome. I always regret selling old stuff… – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
I think you are the perfect person to ask this question. I’ve boiled my amp search down to a pair of amps- the Lionheart L5t-112 and the Tubemeister 18 (12 inch speaker). It sounds like you have played both and I would love your opinion. The amp will be primarily played in my basement and noise is a factor as I have a young child and wife to keep happy.
I’m looking for an amp that takes pedals well- I have a Wampler Velvet Fuzz, MXR Badass Distortion, and Carbon Copy. But the Powersoak 1 watt option on the Tubemeister seems great as well. Any thoughts on which sounds better and may fit better for my needs?
I’m thinking that 5 watts can be controlled fairly well with master volume and guitar/pedal volume but the Tubemeisters get good reviews as well. I have played a Tubemeister 36 before and found it very noisy (buzzing even on low wattage settings). Any thoughts on which amp has the lower noise floor?
Thanks!
Marc
[I’ve never had any issues with noise from the Tubemeister. It’s very quiet… mine at least… so the source may have been outside of the amp that you tried. Anyway, I think both amps are great for bedroom and studio use. Both amps are loud but the HK has a power scaling, which may be a reason to go for it. Be sure to use the gain channel for your pedals. The clean sounds great but doesn’t handle pedals very well. Tonewise, the Lionheart is sort of a AC30 meets Marshall JTM. The HK has a more modern voicing. – Bjorn]
{Update and another thank you}
Got my Plexidrive today and I love it immediately. My amp and guitar have never sounded so good.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, and one more time … I thank you. :)
[Awesome! – Bjorn]
Hi,
The Cub12 comes with Ruby Tubes. They don’t manufacture them, it’s just a brand. They can be manufactured in a number of places, but mainly it seems in China. Made in China is not a bad thing in itself, but QC is likely to be … variable … The tubes in mine behaves well, but I’ve not really pushed them a lot.
Did you change tubes yourself, Bjørn? How did you deal with bias settings? I’m thinking of changing out my preamp tubes for a bit more headroom.
Oh – and the newer Cubs come with HH speakers.
[I replaced the tube myself. As long as you don’t touch them you’re alright. The Cub has cathode biasing meaning that you don’t need to adjust it. Don’t remember if mine came with Rubys but they were noisy and had a very bad break up. I use JJ Electronic tubes in all my amps and are very happy with those. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
Thanks for your responses to both my questions (in guitars and amps). Your responses didn’t post for quite a few days, I thought maybe that my questions weren’t approved for some reason. So yes, I went ahead and bought the strat (I hadn’t read your reply at the time). You are quite right, a lot of money, but I absolutely love it. I had a vintage 55 strat back in the day (unfortunately, it was stolen in the ’70s) and this one feels almost like it. The neck is perfect (for me) and the guitar sounds better than any strat I’ve personally played. So I guess for me it was “worth it”. Thanks again!
[Glad to hear! Congrats! – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn. Thanks for replying again. I figured out the problem, it was a dodgy power unit. The ‘whining’ was a constant electronic, slightly vibrating tone of about 700hz. I swapped the power supply for an old Boss one that I forgot I had, and it works fine now.
Now I’ve tried it properly, I am liking the Banana Boost. The clean boost is nice and the mosfet boost has a nice edge to it. And now that I can increase the volume past 2 o’clock without the whining, my amp is starting to OD a bit, which is nice too. One thing I’ve discovered is that the BB much prefers to sit after the Muff and Fuzz. Before them it sounds weird, after it sounds awsome. Can’t wait to try it out with the Plexidrive, when it arrives.
I’m thinking I might look into possibly replacing the tubes in my amp. When I first got it (a few years ago), I had to replace one to get it working and I noticed the other day that one channel on the amp does sounds slightly better than the other. I don’t even know what tube I put in the amp (I’m such a newb) it was just one the local guitar shop gave me. Time to do a bit of research I think.
Again, many thanks for your replies and helpfull advice. Best wishes.
Nick.
[Glad to hear it worked out :) – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn, a question about the Cub, and Lionheart. Are they Cathode biased? Or is the cub cathode,( self biasing), and Lionheart normally biased? And while I’m asking, how about the H & K, Cathode, or manually biased? Lastly, in around ’83 or ’84 Laney started selling amps in the States, and I bought I believe it was called the ” Pro Lead 100″, a 4 El34, very Marshall like head, that also had a high headroom clean channel. The high gain channel had push pull pots for another gain stage, and was a fantastic c amp, but I was young, and angry, and killed it in, he style of Pete Townsend! Unfortunately Laney didn’t do well, and you never see them in the states, do they still make a similar amp? I’d love to have that amp again, as I believe it was intended to be a Marshall, and a Hiwatt; in one head!
Thanks for EVERYTHING!!! KEITH
[Hi Keith! Both the Cub and Lionheart are cathode biased. A matched pair of tubes can be replaced without biasing. The HK has an onboard monitoring system that notifies you if the tubes needs to be replaced. It’s also self adjusting. I’m not that familiar with the older Laneys but the Super Lead was supported to be a Marshall-something I guess. Toni Iommi also used those. – Bjorn]
Bjorn, when you say change the stock tubes in the Cub12R, do you mean the three ECC83’s or the two El84’s?
[All of them. I’m not sure what these amps comes with now but mine, which was new in 2010 had cheap Chinese tubes in it that were total crap. – Bjorn]
Today was a good guitar day – ish. … I got a reply from the ‘Gilmour Guru’ (Bjorn) and I recieved my BananaBoost. The reason for the “ish” is although the BB seems nice, up to a point, … it may be faulty, or I’m using the wrong power adaptor. If I go past 2 o’clock on the volume I get a terrible whining noise (even on it’s own, with no other pedals). I’ve ordered a lower amperage adaptor, the one I’m using is the correct voltage but may be a bit high amperage. If that doesn’t fix it I’ll need to speak to the supplier. I’ve noticed it whines a lot more if placed infront of any other pedals, especially the Muff or Fuzz.
Anyhoo, many thanks for your reply. I’m glad you didn’t suggest a different amp. I guess the implication is you think the WEM D. MkIII is ok. I think it’s a lovely amp myself. I love the fact that it was hand built by the man that built some of Hendrix’s kit and probably shook his hand and then touched my amp. Hence my amp could have some actual Hendrix DNA on/in it. Hehe.
I did a bit of research, and took your advice and ordered a Plexi. From what I can see and hear on Youtube, it sounds very nice and hopefully will give me the quality dirt I’m looking for. :)
Thanks again.
[Not quite sure what you mean by “whining” but the Bananaboost, like all true Powerbooster clones, tend to get a little fizzy in the top if you crank the gain. It’s just the nature of the pedal and the silicon transistor circuit. Try lowering the treble a bit. If it’s not that then I suggest contacting Electronic Orange. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn. I’ve not long discovered your amazing website and I am currently reading through the whole thing and learning so much. Thank you for providing such a great source of info.
I would like to ask you a question about amps if I may? Before I do let me offer some context. I’ve been a mediocre bedroom guitarist for years, playing for pleasure but never really progressing much. My guitar is a standard MIM Strat and I was lucky to have been given, for free, an old 1973 WEM Dominator Mk III amp. The guitar sounds ok, the amp sounds nice, very clean and seems to suit the Strat. I also have a Zoom GFX8 multi effects box, which is ok but fiddly to use and not really that nice sounding IMO. To be honest I didn’t play that much and hence didn’t learn much. A while ago I Decided to try buying separate pedals. I bought a VOX Wah, a silicone Fuzz Face and an Octavio. Yes, as you may have already have guessed I’m a big Hendrix fan. I like the wah. The Octavo is a strange beast that I’ve managed to get some nice fuzz out of but I don’t really understand it well or use it much. The Fuzz Face at first seemed like a wild animal but then I learned to tame it with the guitars volume control and now love it. This inspired me to play a lot more, improve more and to consider more pedals and to upgrade my Strat. I upgraded the Strat with a SSL-5 bridge PU, which sounds nice. I’ll upgrade the other pups later and then probably the bridge and tuners. I then started researching pedals, which brought me to your site, I’ve always been a big fan of Gilmore too. Partly based on your info, budget and availability, I now have a Tube Vibe which is orgasmicaly creamy. A Nova delay. A Carl Martin Opto-Compressor. A Big Muff Pi Wicker version, which I’m thinking of changing for a BYOC Ramshead. Awaiting a Banana Booster. Plus I’m also considering a BYOC Rat.
So, finally to my question, does my amp (and the pedal choice) suit trying to emulate some of Gilmore’s tones. One main problem I have is not being able to play the amp very loud, and have trouble getting overdrive. I’ve noticed that it starts to OD more if I boost the Tube Vibe a bit. I am also hoping the Banana Boost will help, when it arrives in next few days. BUT I’m wondering if there is a better valve amp choice for bedroom setups? I’d be willing spend a decent amount. Also should I add a buffer to my pedal board?
P. S. Sorry for such a long winded question. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, and thanks again for all the useful info already supplied.
Nick.
[Hi Nick! Welcome to the site! Since you’re using a lot of pedals I think it’s better to leave the amp clean and use a dedicated overdrive pedal for dirt. The Bananaboost will allow you to get overdrive sounds without distorting the amp but you might also want to look into a pedal with more gain like the Wampler PlexiDrive. Also, since you have so many vintage style pedals I’d stay clear of any buffer. They have a tendency to make those vintage circuits sound thin and messy. Hope this helped :) – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn.
Marry Christmas.
You’ve probably been asked this already, but you have over 4 years of comments here so it’s hard to find what I’m looking for :).
I’m in the market for a new amp. Its for home use and I want a tube amp.
I’ve been looking mainly at the fender blues jrs, and pro jrs, and lately att the cub 12(combo).
I’m trying to develop my tone and I want an amp that’ll respond nicely to my playing. As you say trasistor amps are a little dull and not very dynamic.
My worries are…
For home use:
Will the fender blues jr be to loud? Will I be able to get the most out of my amp without blowing out the windows?
And in the case of the cub 12, what sort of scares me is the low price(am I just being silly?)
I understand that there is a difference in tone between different amps. But my question now is about volume, getting the most out of the amp, and quality.
Love yout site.
/Nils
[Very sorry for my late reply, Nils. The Blues Jr is no doubt a better amp quality wise. The Cub sounds great but I wouldn’t trust it for travelling and doing many gigs. It is cheap but I think it’s one of the better sounding amps in the price range so I wouldn’t worry about that. The Blues Jr is very loud and if you have sensitive neighbours you might find it too loud and hard to tame. The Cub has a 1w power scaling, which comes handy. I strongly recommend replacing the stock tubes on the Cub, with JJ Electronic tubes. It’ll be a huge upgrade. Further down the line you may also want to consider replacing the stock speaker. – Bjorn]
Hello! First, I ‘d like to wish a Happy New Year!
Not having the opportunity to listen and try all those great pieces of gear side by side, makes me only imagine what each amp brand would sound like. Because only listening to mp3 or even better quality music isn’t enough to give us this experience.
1. On another post you ‘ve told me that you can make a Lionheart sound -somewhat- like a Hiwatt. Any settings suggestions?
2. I ‘ve never played any original vintage amp, but I ‘d think that the more mid-rangy tone of a Hiwatt compared to a Vox, or Fender can be heard clearly here, right? To me, his cleans sound nothing like clean and as if everything is about to explode! Nothing to do with the sound of Fender cleans, say Buddy Holly… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN3IDnxOCn4
3. On your article about The Endless River, you ‘ve said that David combined Hiwatts and Fenders. This was done for everything, or for example Fender-cleans and Hiwatt-distortions?
4. Which would be your first choice of a low wattage Hiwatt-style amp? Apart from your Reeves50 of course!
[Very sorry for my late reply, Dimitris.
1. It’s certainly not a Hiwatt but try this: hi input, high mode, clean channel, bass 3:00, treble 3:00, mids 2:00, tone 2:00.
2. Yep. The mids in the Hiwatt makes mids scooped pedals like fuzz and Muff really stand out.
3. We don’t know. Impossible to say whether he used the amps for specific tones or always combined. I would at least guess that they’d mix them differently when they did the mixing of the album.
4. Check out the Hiwatt Tube Series.
– Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn, first time writing a comment for me. I want to give a big “thank you” for this site. Awesome!
Quick question though – I order the Laney amp (Laney Lionheart L5T-112) and it completely lived up to billing! My only issue is that it’s kind of heavy to transport around. A friend of mine brought one of his amps in to a store and had them install wheels onto his amp (not a Laney). Would you recommend this or do you think it’s a bad idea (or maybe have no strong opinion either way)? I don’t think I’ll move it around all that much but it would be nice to have wheels on this thing when I needed it. I don’t plan to sell it but I am wondering if you think it would negatively affect the resale value. Also, maybe you know of some alternate (and better) way to move amps? I know I could just buy a dolly but maybe you have a recommendation for that?
[Very sorry for my late reply, Kevin. Thanks for your kind words! The resale value might be affected but then again, the Lionhearts are popular amps and it shouldn’t be too difficult to sell it. An option would be a custom flight case with wheels but that’s obviously a lot more expensive than just the wheels. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn, hope your Christmas holidays are proving relaxing. I was thinking of replacing the 12″ HH driver in my CUB 12R. Can you suggest something which isn’t aggressive and doesn’t cost the bank? I know you’ve mentioned earlier that you use Webers and find Celestions to be aggressive.
Is there any Celestion model you would consider for the CUB 12R combo amp?
Would be great if you could suggest a few other options, if possible. Thanks!
[Very sorry for my late reply, Debargho. I like the V30s but you might also want to check out the G12H, which has a bit more sparkle. I think both works really well with the amp but other than that I’m not sure. I don’t have much experience with other speakers for the Cub. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
As neutral settings for the Laney Lionheart head (the ones to be favored for using “amp in a box” pedals), you suggested the clean channel with :
treble / mid / bass at noon
what about “clean volume” knob and “tone” knob please?
regards,
John
[Very sorry for my late reply, John. The clean channel will break up when you past noon… how fast depends on how hot your pickups are. I keep the tone at 3:00 and rarely higher but I think noon is the flat EQ. – Bjorn]
Well, you named the Classic 30, and it seems that it has just arrived here in Chile. Looks lile a great option. How would you describe the clean tone? I would love to get WYWH tones but also, Abbey Road tones.. So, is it any similar to a Fender? Cheers
[Very sorry for my late reply, Tom. The C30 has lots of headroom and a pretty fat low end that you probably need to tame a bit depending on the room. Hard to describe the tone as Peavey is Peavey but it’s a very versatile amp. More Fender than Hiwatt I guess. – Bjorn]
I’m considering making my own bedroom amp to get what I want. Very generally, would you suggest an EL-84 power section for use with the Vick Rams Head? What 10-12″ speaker would you suggest I start my development with?
I understand these are only opinions but that seems like a great place to start. Thanks!
[Happy new year! Very sorry for my late reply. The Vick goes very well with EL84s… most power tubes actually. Don’t have that much experience with speakers but for a smaller amp I’d go with something tight and with a bit of high mid range for the presence. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
Very good article. Even though I’ve been listening to Floyd and Gilmour for over 40 years, I just recently started trying to obtain his tones (or get somewhat close, anyway). I have numerous guitars, only one strat, but just bought a Custom shop Gilmour relic black strat. As far as amps go, I have two set ups, would love advice as to which one would be more suitable. One is a Hughes and Kettner tube head, (30 W) on a Marshall 4×12 cabinet with 4 celestions in it. The other amp is a 1973 Fender Twin, (100 W) just had it completely overhauled with all new tubes and all new resisters and caps. Both sound quite nice (to me) but yet very different. I am also in the market for pedals (would really like to put together a pedal board) and I am reading all your great reviews on those. Obviously, the Twin has way more power if I were to gig, but that is not the case right now, so this is basically for home use.
Thanks much in advance,
Regards,
Klaus
[Hi Klaus! So, you bought the Relic :) Congrats! I answered your previous comment about the Relic but I’m sure you’re very happy with the guitar :) Between the amps I guess I’d go with the Twin. It’s got a nice vintage character and it’ll provide a nice basis for a pedal board. Cheers! – Bjorn]
Bjorn,
I need to borrow your ears for a moment (because I’m trying to educate mine). In a comment above, you gave some general settings for the Bugera V22. I assume that was with the mid-boost feature off?
I realize it’s been a bit, but you compared the V22 to the Vox AC30, sound-wise. I’ve seen you characterize Fender amps as mid-scooped, Vox not having much midrange, and Hiwatts as “dark with lots of mids”. I find this confusing, because when I use the mid-boost on my Bugera, it’s anything but dark.
You did a piece on EQ, but I’d find it very helpful if you could do a piece sometime on EQing, explainging, and maybe demonstrating, the relationship between terms like “dark”, “bright”, “mid-scooped”, and all those other terms, using a amp typical tone-stack and a typical EQ pedal as a frame of reference. Playing something, and saying “this is what I consider ‘dark’.
I realize this, especially a demo video, would be a large undertaking, but it’s the kinds of thing I think myself and others would fine very helpful in educating our ears.
[Describing a tone isn’t easy and we might have different perceptions of different terms or words used to describe the tone. The typical Fender amps and Vox, has very little mid range and are considered to be bright. Hiwatts, early Marshall and similar has more mid range but are considered darker sounding. These descriptions are based on what gear you use with the amps. Back in the old days, guitarists would plug their Strats into a Fender Twin and get the tones they needed. Other guitarists would plug a Les Paul into a Marshall or Hiwatt but needed a treble booster to get top end AND overdrive, as these amps had much more headroom, which is also considered as being darker. So, it’s not easy to describe and it is conducing at times. Thank you for the tip on the article, I’ll keep it in mind :) – Bjorn]
Thanks for the response! Im really considering the Cub 12r, but I think I need your help.. Well, I need an amp for bar gigs/bar gigging, and I’ve considered the Cub 12 as it’s fairly cheap, but my fear is that I run out of clean headroom with it. What would you use if you were starting with gigs (smaller ones)? I dont know if it would be better to get a high wattage amp (with “high” I mean like 30 watts) or trust a 15 watter like the cub
Thanks for the help Bjorn! Cheers
[Depends on the size of the club. The Cub is perhaps best used in a bedroom or studio although you can use it on smaller stages, mic it and use a front monitor to be able to hear you guitar. It doesn’t have that much headroom so you’re probably better off with a Peavey C30, H&K Tubemeister, Laney L20, Fender BJ or similar… All of these will provide enough volume and headroom and you can turn them down without losing tone. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn!!
Thanks for the great site.
You are great in making such site and playing guitar also.
I’m glad to meet your site.
I’ve been serching for DG tone also, especially his sharp picking
tone like the begining part of “Castellorizon “　with some pedals
BK Butler Tube Driver,top tone DG-2.
Please teｌｌ me your opinion about the difference between Laney Cub 12r combo and
LIONHEART L5T-112 in picking tone or response or harmonics.
And If I get Laney Cub 12r combo,what do you think whether I have good picking tone and　response by changing speaker to　Celestion G12H driver used by LIONHEART L5T？
Sorry for my english.
From Japan.
[The Lionheart is an overall better amp. Both sound wise and in quality. Personally I’d go with it but the Cub is also very nice and it will do in a bedroom setup. I’d definitely change the stock speakers for either G12H or V30s. The G12H has a bit more of that upper mid range, which suits the Cub very well. Keep in mind though that the Tube Driver is not the ideal pedal on smaller amps and low volume. It can sound a bit thin and it needs a bit of volume to really open up and get that smooth tone. You might want to look into the Wampler PlexiDrive for a more versatile pedal with a very similar tone. – Bjorn]
Hey my friend, is there any difference between the Gray Cub12 and the more Brown-ish one? Maybe the difference is just in the photos
Thanks for the help, cheers
[Same amp. They just change the colour of the grille cloth. – Bjorn]
Thank you for your help!
And could you please answer the sale question for the laney Lionheart L20H;
What would be a neutral setting on the Lionheart head fitted with the jj tubes?
… in order to use an “amp in a box” pedal.
I guess clean channel so:
Input? Hi or Lo?
Clean Vol. knob?
Bright?
Bass, treble, mid?
Tone knob?
Regards,
John
[The EQs should be set to noon. For passive pickups I’d use the Hi input and the “normal” or down position on the bright switch. – Bjorn]
Hi again Bjorn,
Thanks for the “neutral” settings above, on the Laney CUB.
By “gain to about 2”, do you mean 2 o’clock?
And I’ve uploaded the laney Cub manual.
They say indeed that the bass / mids / treble should be set at noon for neutral setting.
They recommend Tone at noon also.
What do you recommend for volume setting? I can play loud if I want, and also use the 15W input if needed.
Regards,
John
[Sorry… The gain at 8:00. That’s mark 2. You can set the volume all the way up but you might hear a slight break up if you’re using hot pickups. – Bjorn]
Happy xmas bjorn. I think I have finally made my mind up on which amp to upgrade to from my Laney cub. I couldnt get to try out a t20 hiwatt and after considering the Blues junior or the laney Lion heart lt20 i feel that The Laney may serve me better for future possible gigs and the versatility of its tone.. I need to get down to the shop to try one now but my question is would you recommend I go for the stack instead of the combo even though most of my playing is bedroom! What are the advantages of the stack over the combo if any and finally is it easy to set up a super clean bright punchy base for authentic gilmour tones and pedals as I understand the L20 is quite a dark amp, not bright and transparent like the hiwatts/ fenders D.Gilmour uses . Sorry for so many questions but your experience is of value as you have played through so many different amps and use the Laney yourself.
[Hi Bernie! The Cub is very similar to a Hiwatt actually. Transparent and with a bit of mid range. The stack will give you a bit more headroom and with the 1w scaling you’d have no problem running it in your bedroom :) – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn it’s me again!
I took your advice and didn’t get the SL Drive or DS-1X, I actually decided to purchase a Vick Audio 73 Rams Head, such a sweet pedal! It is slightly darker than most Muffs but the Bd-2 that you suggested I get suits it perfectly by adding some brightness, a very good pair of pedals. I can’t thank you enough for your help, my guitar tone has never sounded this good! You’re inspiring me to become a better player. Now I want to upgrade from my crappy little solid state amp. I’m looking at the Hiwatt T20 Head or combo, the Laney Cub 12 Head and Cab or maybe spending a bit more and getting a Peavey Classic 30. Which do you recommend out of these? I play mostly in my bedroom and occasionally small gigs. I think the Laney’s 1w power scaling would be perfect for my bedroom but could it do small gigs on 15w? The Hiwatt sounds great too, the Peavey might be a bit loud but if you think it’s better than the other two I’d be happy to get it if I can find it at a decent price. Thank you Bjorn, I will be buying your solo album soon!
[Sorry for my late reply. Glad to hear that you’re happy with your tone! The Cub is a great sounding amp but I don’t think I’d gig with it. It’s not loud enough and I’m not sure I’d trust the quality of it. The C30 is a very nice amp for all purposes and it sounds pretty good on low volume too. Same goes for the Hiwatt T20. You might want to check out the Laney Lionheart series as well. Tehy’re a bit more expensive but definitely worth it. – Bjorn]
Hi bjorn. Thank you for this advice. But what woul be this neutral setting on the laney cub head fitted with the jj tubes? All knobs bass mid treble on 12 o clock, even tone knob? and gain on zero?
Is the tone knob basically a presence knob?
Thanks!!!!!
John
[Treble, bass and mids at noon. Depending on how hot your pickups are you can set the gain to about 2 without the amp cranking. As for the tone, I’m not really sure. I need to look into that as this control works differently on different amps. I would assume that it boosts around 5-7K but I’m not sure where flat is. Usually though, setting it at noon gives you a fairly uncoloured tone. – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn,
Is it possible to set the laney Cub head to sound like a Vox AC-30 without having to buy a dedicated “amp in a box”pedal like Carl martin AC – Tone?
If YES, what would be your settings of Lany Cub please? (I guess Vox are really mid scoop so mids on zero?)
If NO, what would be the best settings of Laney Cub, in order to put an “Amp in a box ” pedal in front of it?
Thank you for helping.
Regards,
John
[Not really. The Cub is more like a Hiwatt or early Marshall, which is very different from a Vox. I guess if you lowered both the mids and presence/tone you’d get something similar. You can use typical amp in a box pedals as any other gain pedal. After all, it’s basically just an overdrive or distortion voiced for a specific tone and not actually an amp in a box. To get the most of the pedal though I’d set the amp as clean as possible and the EQ/tone controls neutral so you get the least amount of colouring from the amp. – Bjorn]
Hey Keith ! Thanks for the advice, I’ll check them right now
Shine on, my friends
Hi Bjorn! Between Laney LH-50, Peavey C30, Bugera V55 and Fender Hot Rod Deluxe which one you would choose considering:
– DG tone in mind;
– Using with several effects;
– Also playing inside bedroom;
Which one of them has the best stock speaker?
Thank you!
Best Regards from Brazil
[All of these are very loud so it depends on how forgiving your neighbours are :) The Lionheart is no doubt the best sounding amp in my opinion. It’s got the classic tone, it’s very versatile and it sounds great on lower volume. You might want to consider the 20w though :) – Bjorn]
Hello bjorn!!!
Have you got any idea on what were the settings on David Gilmour’s Bassman!? I’ve been obsessed with his tone from the Division Bell/1993 Endless River sessions…
Cheers ;)
[Never seen any pictures of it and I don’t own a Bassman myself so I can’t really comment on it. It’s set very clean and I also assume that he’s lowered the treble a bit and perhaps increased the mids but I’m not sure about the specifics. – Bjorn]
I don’t know your budget Tom, but Avatar makes great cabinets, and a 1X12 should be very inexpensive. I paid about $200 for my 2×12 vintage Bluesbreaker style cab, and it’s made of the best materials for cabinet building. Check out Avatar Cabinets on the web, they make several models to suit your taste, and cabinet construction is important for tone. 3/4 Baltic Birch, used right, will sound far better than MDF, or cheap, construction grade plywood!!!
Good luck, Keith
Hi Bjorn,
great review, thanks! I’m looking for a small Tube Amp for Home practice which has a nice Fender Clean Tone and adding a tubescreamer sometimes for more distortion. I’ve seen many reviews about the Laney Cub 12r and it looks like a fantastic amp with a lot of cool features for the money, but will it bring a nice fender clean tone? I heard many sound examples of the Blues Junior and it sounds fantastic to me, just wondering if i get the same tone out of the Cub? (Maybe with changing the speaker or tubes?)
Thanks!
[The Blues Jr has a classic Fender tone, with a bright transparent top. The Cub is darker with more mid range. Kind of a Hiwatt meets early Marshall. Two very different amps but they’re both very versatile and they sound great. – Bjorn]
Mmm I thought they weren’t that great at all. What do you think about them? Worth it?
Cheers!
[The Cub cab? The stock speakers sounds pretty dull but the cabinet it self is OK. – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn, any recomendation on a cheap cabinet? I intend to buy a cheap one (a Vox 112) and switch the speaker for a Eminence (I don’t remember the model, but it was inspired in Fane’s) I would use it with a Cub12 head
Thanks for the help, my friend and cheers!
[Why not go with the Cub cab? Material and construction matters a great deal but if you’re on a tight budget I would say that you could go for almost anything and just replace the speakers. – Bjorn]
Bjorn,
Love the HK Tubemeister 18, awesome sound and built in attenuator makes it a no brainer for bedroom levels. I wanted to ask you if you experience a low hum/buzz on the lead channel with nothing plugged into the amp. I’m using quality components all evidence audio cables including a siren speaker cable from head to cab. The hum increases as I turn the master volume up on the lead channel with or without my guitar plugged in. On the other hand, the clean channel has no hum/buzz both with or without my guitar plugged in and cranked. I’ve checked both sets of tubes and they are fine. Trying to determne if the amp is defective or not. Anything you can think of? Thanks!
[Still using the stock tubes? Change them. They are terribly noisy. I’m using JJ tubes and the amp is dead quiet and sounds awesome :) – Bjorn]
Hey there!
I’m currently debating on whether to buy a BlackStar HT Club 40 or a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III, would you say that both of them are good for Gilmour tones? In the end, I’m going to ultimately choose what I prefer personally, but I’ll be much more confident knowing that I can have a good Gilmour tone from the amp as well :)
[Personally I’d go with the Fender. The Blackstar is a nice amp but it’s got a modern tone and can come off as a bit too aggressive for some pedals and tones. – Bjorn]
I have an AC15C2 and I love it, but it breaks up at low volumes on either channel – if you are looking for cleans at anything but bedroom levels, definitely look elsewhere. I’m considering getting an AC30 of some ilk or a Fender Bassman 59 reissue at some point. That said, the AC15C2 cranked with a Lunar Module is pure heaven.
Thanks for the quick reply Bjorn. I have since been looking at your comments on the Reeves Amps and I am very impressed with them. I wonder, given that they are obviously more expensive than the Hiwatt T20, Laney etc, would the Reeves Custom 18 combo or even the Custom 50 head you have be a better upgrade for me. I don’t want to have to buy again if I do the occasional gig though most of my playing is at bedroom level. would the Power scaling on the Reeves give me the best of both worlds or do you think the Hiwatt T20 would give me the tones and do the job adequately? Help Please!
[The Custom 20 is based on the early Marshall models so it’s not really a Hiwatt clone. You can get some very nice Gilmour tones with it but its much more suited for classic rock and you might have a problem getting the tones you want from your typical Gilmour pedals. The Custom 50 is probably as close as you’ll ever get to the original Hiwatts but it’s loud and too loud for a bedroom or even a home… unless you live totally undisturbed. The power scaling only works if you intend you crank the amp for gain. That way you can lower the master and still get a nice tube distortion. If you play all clean the power scaling would be redundant. I’d get the T20 or something similar. – Bjorn]
Hi
I am thinking of upgrading from my Laney cub 12R amp which I like. I love the Gilmour tones so I am considering either the Laney LT20 combo or the Hiwatt t20 Combo. I want a bed room Amp that will be ok to play with friends in a possible small club setting. Logic tells me that as Gilmour played predominantly through Hiwatts that the T20 may be the best choice But I hear good things about the Laney! I would appreciate your opinions on these two amps given my playing situation – mainly at home and my wanting the Gilmour tones. Thanks for your time.
[The T20 is definitely closer to the Cub. It’s got that classic Hiwatt character. The Lionheart is perhaps closer to an early Marshall but fully capable of producing great Gilmour tones. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn!
Any thoughts on putting a Fane AXA12 speaker in a Marshall amp? Have heard they are good speakers for pointing you in the right direction of Gilmour’s tone.
Cheers!
[I’ve no idea. They’re fairly bright and they’ve got a lot of headroom. Marshalls tend to sound better with darker sounding speakers but I guess it can work nicely with JTM or JCMs. I have experience with the newer Marshall amps. – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn!
Just heard your solo album at my mate’s house, amazing stuff! Truly an inspiration, I’m sure Mr. Gilmour would be proud!
I have a stock Marshall DSL40C and am looking to replace the Celestion Seventy 80 speaker. Do you know any speakers that can get in the ballpark of Gilmour’s tone by themselves in a Marshall?
Thanks in advance!
[Thanks for your kind words, David! I don’t have that much experience with experimenting with different Gilmour speakers in a Marshall but the V30s is a safe option. They’re darker than the Fane’s David’s using but they compliment the Marshall amps perfectly, with a balanced low end and a smooth upper mids. Check out the G12H as well. They’re very similar to the V30s, with a bit more high end. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
Before I start to bother you with my question I just want say it’s a pleasure to read you site and your reviews on gear! Ok now the question…
I’ve a Bugera V55 at home and that have been my main amp for a couple of years and for me is a great value as a tube amp, although when I’m playing in rigs I usually get more comfortable with Fender amps if they’re available locally… My main problem here is not picking the right guitar or setup my pedalboard to go to rigs, it’s basically the amp that I’m playing with. I’m thinking to purchase a new amp that is lighter than that V55 combo and after doing deep research I came with very easy amp to do modifications – the VHT special 6 ultra (you only need to change the tubes). For the price, I think you can’t match any brand with an handwired tube amp built on. Do you think is an OK amp for gigs? Should I purchase only the head version and use local stage cabinets? I’m asking this because I definitely need something lighter to travel with me because it’s a problem if they only have different amps available to play.
Thank you very much in advance and one more thing. If you have time try to make a review of 1776 multiplex pedal, I have one in my pedalboard and those two analog delay heads just slash solos like no other thing, specially when I’m in Binson mode I feel Gilmour’s ambience very natural and not so digital as those tc electronic pedals.
Best regards from Portugal
Bernardo
[Hi Bernardo! I don’t have that much experience with the VHT so I can’t really tell. Based on the reviews I’ve seen they seem OK and should fit your Gilmour tones very well. Personally I’d go with either a combo or stack. You never know what you get when you’re borrowing things. Could be a complete mis match tone wise but it could also be a cab that’s been blown to pieces. I rarely travel with my own amps due to shipping costs but I always make sure I get exactly what I want. – Bjorn]
Hey there Bjorn. Some really great information here, thanks for all of it :) I want to get a practical combo that can go in the bedroom but also on stage (with the help of a PA if needed). I am really stuck between the Fender Blues Jr. and the Laney Cub 12r. I know the Cub has an FX loop and is cheaper… How would you pick between them?
I run a Standard Strat with 69s through a Keeley BD-2 and a new Bass Muff. I used to have an AC15 but that’s gone now.
Thanks in advance
Gil
[They’re two different amps sonically but they’ll both give you a great basis for pedals and they’ll let you cover most music genres. The Fender is no doubt a sturdier amp so I’d go with that one if you plan on gigging. – Bjorn]
Bjorn,
Thanks for the input. The lt5 arrived last week. Have to say the tone blows me away. the gilmour sound too Hendrix and srv. quite a nice amp and value. Even though it was 700.00 us.
im glad i bought it. Great for bedroom and home. Can get quite loud. the overdrive channel with my EVH Guitar covers rock tones well! Lots of room to dial in the amount of gain. The clean channel is so pristine and precise with picking up the sounds and nuances used with the finger pressure on the fretboard depending how hard or soft you press the strings. The amp really is awesome. Not a bad thing to say about this amplifier. Covers the marshall / Vox tones and good close to fender cleans. I Have played the Fender princeton reverb. The options of this amp are way better than the options on the Princeton. I dont miss not having the fender reverb or tremelo effetcts of the fender amps. I like the options that this amp covers at low watts and suits my needs well. I have not used pedals yet. The amplifiers overdrive just is smooth and covers a lot of ground from blues to classic rock and some metal.
Thanks for your input!
Much Appreciated!!
Eric
[Glad to hear, Eric! – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn fantastic article!
I wondering if you have any experience with the Hiwatt G200R? Someone located nearby me is selling it and a cab for only $550! Is it similar to a T20 head?
Thankyou!
[These are solid state two channel amps. You can get some nice classic Hiwatt tones with it but personally I think they sound a bit dull and flat. The T-series are in my opinion a better choice. They’ve got tubes and a very nice classic Hiwatt character. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
I’m not sure how experienced you are with different speakers but I have a Marshall DSL40C amp (I know it’s not really the best amp for a gilmourish tone) and I want to change the stock Celestion Seventy 80 speaker as it’s very harsh, especially on the high end when I crank my amp, the low end is quite muddy also. So I wondering if there are any speakers you would recommend that could get me closest to that clear, smooth Gilmour sound with my Marshall? Should I stick with Celestion and maybe get a Creamback or GT-75, or look for other brands of speakers?
Thanks for all your effort in helping us get a Gilmourish tone!
[I don’t think the GT75s are that different from the Seventy 80s. Perhaps a tad smoother but they’re both pretty boosted in that upper mid range. If you’re worried about hi-end, then the Vintage 30s might be a good choice. They have a fairly moderate low end and a slightly rounded off upper mid range. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn, I finally got a L5T for my bedroom setup, the amp is really awesome and loud! It has tons of tones in it! I have to restart finding the sweet spots for my rig now, any advice? The amp has a little drawback, the leather of the handle tends to crumble and the weight is high, probably due to the big magnet of the speaker and the spring reverb inside the cabinet. But this is not an issue, perhaps is the price of the cabinet’s quality. Nice amp indeed!
Thanks for your good job on the web for spreading your knowledge and experience. I’m waiting the signed copy of your debut solo album and I think that’s exciting to see an artist, directly supported, growing up everyday getting better and better!
Cheers,
Luca
[Thanks for your support, Luca! I think it’s wise to start from scratch with the new amp. Plug your guitar straight into it and familiarise with its different tones and qualities. Experiment with the settings and try to find the best match for your guitar. Keep in mind that pedals are the frosting on the cake :) Your guitar and amp should be the fundament of your tone. – Bjorn]
Thank you Bjorn, your message is clear and you confirmed my doubts. I take advantage of your patience and I go to the next question: I’d like to change my blues deville anyway, to get something more similar to david’s amps, probably there is something better I can choose (and cheaper, maybe): what would you suggest for live performances with a 1000-1500 euros budget?
Thanks again!
Simon
[Well, I’m a huge fan of the Laney Lionheart L20. It’s kind of a mix between a Vox AC30 and Marshall JTM45 but great for Gimour’s tones as well and it handles all kinds of pedals. The H&K Tubemeister amps are also great, with power scaling and the size fits in everywhere :) – Bjorn]
Thanks a lot for your help, Bjorn! I read something about these two amps, and I’m now considering the H&K Tubemeister (if I’m not wrong, it’s the amp you used in almost all of your last videos, and it sounds great!). I noticed you always say that it’s a good “modern sounding” amp, but you suggest to use the “gain channel” to have a better sound from the pedals: so, do you use the “lead channel” with the gain control set to zero? What about the clean sound of your guitar? Maybe there’s a video from gilmourish in which I can understand all these details, in this case I apologize for all these questions ;)
Hi Simon! Yes, I’m using the H&K on the last clips. It’s indeed a modern sounding amp. The clean channel is great but it doesn’t handle gain pedals that well. They sound very fizzy. The gain channel however, has a different voicing. A tad more vintage although with a modern twist. It has a lot of headroom so even with the gain at 9-10 o’clock, you can get a nice clean tone and basis for all your pedals.
Hi Bjorn,
I am 46 years old and started to “play” the guitar some 4 years ago. I attempt to play only at home not to annoy others (not because of volume). Thank you very much for this page. Only wanted to share my amateurish experience. Amplifier-wise I ended up with two heads. Hi-Tone 30, which is a very nice piece (excellent experience with customer service, namely Clayton Callaway). Recently I came across by accident with MPF Room One (head with 1 watt of power, two class A 6AK6 General Electric JAN USA pentodes in push-pull at the power amplifier and two 12AT7 JJ at the preamp). I ordered it directly from Mario Punsola (Barcelona, Spain). Mario was sending me pictures as he was building it. Also excellent service. Both these “beasts” are real professional hand-wired built and sound great to my ears.
Peter (Slovakia)
[Thanks for sharing, Peter! – Bjorn]
Thank you Bjorn, you’re the best.
[Cheers! – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
Great job on the site, tons of great information for those of us who enjoy all things Floyd! Recently I got the HK Tubemeister 18 as I wasn’t sure if you could provide me with the settings you typically use with your pedals for David’s tone. Thanks!
[Thanks Kris! Great amp! I’m using the gain channel as the clean doesn’t go well with pedals. I usually set the treble at 11:00, mids full, bass at 10:00, gain 8:00 and the master full. Mine is set for the 5w scaling. – Bjorn]
Bjorn,
Im wanting to pick up a nice little amp for just playing at home. But I want to get a good one. I was looking at the Lionheart lt5 or a fender Princeton Reverb. I dont gig. Its just my hobby. I like Floyd, hendrix, srv, and classic rock stuff. I know a pedal can get the distortion on the Fender.
The question is bout the reliability of the LT5 not too many places local that work on them if needed. Im looking to get more natural distortion at a low watt amp. I bought a vht special 6 U while back. I love the little amp and can get many tones from the boss me80 I use with it. I guess you could say im looking to compliment my small arsenal with a nice great sounding clean too dirty amplifier. Ive been watching videos, the last year on the LT5. Thing is I also like the fender clean sound. Will the Lt5 give me those nice cleans too….any input is great. If you have another option fill me in….Thanks! Eric
[The Fender will no doubt give you a great clean tone but they tend to sound a bit bright and thin on low volume, due to the lack of mid range. The Lionheart has a nice amount of mid range and an overall warmer tone. It’s got plenty of headroom and a vintage Marshall kind of distortion. Personally I’d go for the Lionheart. – Bjorn]
I find the Blues Junior sounds best for gilmourish tones when you roll back the treble and gain and turn it up.
I usually use my BJ for non-gilmour tones but it can do it if you set the EQ right.
Hi Bjorn what do you think of Orange amps? I recently brought a Laney Cub Head but i would like to know what you think of them, I tried one out but i couldnt test it with really any demanding pedals.
[I don’t really have that much experience with them. My impression is that they’re a bit too dark and aggressive sounding – even the cleans – but I don’t really have enough experience to give a good comment. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn!
I’m here again to receive your advice about a “new” hiwatt amp.
I’m talking about the Hiwatt Signature Series Little D Rig: I don’t know if it’s a new combination of products or I was not well informed, but I’m really curious to know if you had the chance to try it.
I would replace my fender blues deville, but I’m wondering if this 20w hiwatt head could be enough in live situations (I always use microphones in front of my amps and my blues deville is always set at 3, probably “power” is not so relevant).
What do you think about it?
Thanks a lot for your help!
Simon
[Hi Simon! I haven’t tried the Little D, so I can’t comment in detail. Based on the specs and reviews I’ve seen, it seems like a nice amp that should give you a great basis for your pedals and Gilmour tones. I did comment on this particular model when it was launched last year and as you may be aware of, regardless of what Hiwatt may claim, this amp has nothing to do with David Gilmour. It’s a nice amp but marketed with the intention of making fans believe that it’s an endorsed signature or “based on” model, which it’s not. Mind too that the WEM cab has nothing in common with the original WEM cabs employed by Pink Floyd. – Bjorn]
I have the Little D from Hiwatt. Generally it is great, but! The company does not answer my mails, they delivered it with 8 weeks later, without any written document, assemled with the cheepst ugliest pots ever.. Sounds are nice, with huge headroom in 20w, but 0,5w is too loud too.. And in 0,5 w I have no chimey cleans losing a lot from the headroom. I use it with a Fane Axa12 loaded 1×12 Marshall cab, I did not gulp down the WEM cabinet marketing bla bla. Now I will change the pots, enjoying the amp, and try to forget the Hiwatt as an existing firm..
Sounds like a good plan :)
Hey Bjørn!
First, thanks for your work!it’s awesome!
I’ve a question you had maybe already answered before and I didn’t notice it, but which channel recommand you to use on a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe in order to obtain the David’s clear sound and to use all of the pedals?
Thank you so much In advance!
Cheers!
[Hi Max! I’d use the normal or clean channel for the most headroom. You may also want to experiment with channel 2, drive, if you find channel 1 too bright. Still, by lowering the treble and increasing the mids, you should be able to get some really nice clean tones with channel 1. Input 1 is for passive single coils, while input 2 is for hot humbuckers and active pickups. – Bjorn]
Thank you Bjorn for answering my question !!! I did check out the Tubemestier ,but I don’t know it seems to me that the Lionheart is a bit better as an all-rounder…and eventhough I like to play the old Floyd, I don’t really want to be constrained by that . So after a bit of taught I’ve decided to stick with a more versatile amp that can handle some pedals also.Would you agree that the L5 would do the job ? Thanks again Bjorn!!!!
[Definitely! – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn!
Just have a question, what do you think of the Hiwatt custom 20 ? I’ll be able to get my hands on a new one for 1500$.
Thanks again for all your hard work !:)
Cheers
[It’s basically the same amp as the 50 and 100, although somewhat stripped down with a few less features. It’s got the classic tone and loads of headroom. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn !!
I have a question….Is the Laney LIONHEART – L20T-112 any good for my bedroom? Pink Floyd is my fav band and David’s guitar is out of this world…so I tend to replicate his sound from time to time. At the moment I am looking for the best amp that could capture a bit of his magic. I have a budget of about 1160 $ and should I buy the 20 W Lionheart combo considering my fucking neighbours who can’t stand anything loud or should I get the 5 W one on the basis of your good review? I’m looking for the best balance between not pissing off my neighbours and the right amp with the right amount of headroom that could handle my pedals without fucking up the sound too much ( Fx loop considered). Laney really caught my eye…the downside is that I live in Romania and the music shops around here don’t have these amps…so testing is out of the question. Also if you have better alternatives within this price range please let me know. Bearing all of this in mind I would be very greatful if you can help me in making the right choice !!! Thankyou very much Bjorn!!! btw I love your stuff and sorry for stealing your time !!!
[Hi Vlad! The L20 is loud and although it sound pretty good on low volume I fear it’s too loud for your neighbours. The L5 would be a better choice I think. You might also want to check out the H&K Tubemesiter 18. The clean channel is awful but the gain channel has enough headroom to handle all kinds of pedals. It’s also got power scaling down to 1w. – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn,
Question for you. I’m still having trouble with my Lionheart L5T 5W with good tone and I noticed a real drop off in tone so I think it’s time to try new tubes for it. I bought it used off Ebay so I do not know how many hours are on it.
The Lionheart L5T uses three 12ax7 and one EL84. Can you recommend a brand of appropriate tubes to get closer to that Gilmour tone?
The Lionheart currently has a very sharp drop off in high end tone and sounds very boomy on all but the lowest settings so I think it may need new tubes. Hope you can help!
[Could be the tubes but it’s always hard to tell when I haven’t heard the amp. Changing tubes might solve your problem but don’t expect the amp to change completely. It’s more of a subtle change. I’m using JJ Electronic tubes. They have a nice warm and punchy tone. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
last month I wrote you asking your opinion about Dizzy 30, a Matchless Clone from Ceriatone. You were right, it definitely does the (gilmourish) job! Amazing amp and it takes pedals perfectly…So thanks for your help!
[Glad to hear! – Bjorn]
@T.Quay, if the Laney cub is Cathode biased, simply plug in a set of matched output tubes, let the amp warm up for about 5 minutes, and enjoy the wonderful difference those JJs will make. However, make sure the amp is CATHODE BIASED, your instruction, or users manual should tell you, or simply Google the question, is the amp cathode biased. If it is manually biased, you can’t plug, and play with output tubes, but with the preamp tubes, change at will, no adjustment is necessary!
Hope that helps.
Peace, Keith
Getting that Gassy feeling after reading how crappy the RI “Mullards” are designed. Even without a great deal of technical knowledge, anyone can see the tubes are completely different. Why don’t they just call the RIs, Mike Mattews Markateers? LOL
PEACE BRO’, KEITH
@ Keith my brother from another mother,
“yes” :p It has definitely improved the amp not only sonically but the way to interacts with my playing. These tubes are really great. Is it worth the extra money?? That is a question we all must ask. A great amp like a Reeves is already a great amp, does it need to be better? Well, you already care enough to buy a great amp, so for me the answer was yes.
Cheers
Hi Bjorn:
I have a boutique Tweed Deluxe (5E3) amp, the same David in Concert used in Live at Robert Wyatt’s Meltdown.
I watched the video a hundred times, I search the net on several ocations, but nothing.
The amplifier is as simple as you can get, but it’s really not.
Mine has Mercury magnetics FatStack transformers and the 12AY7 on the V1, i think i have the double of clean headroom, but you know that only mean a break in 3,5-4/12.
So like this amp pots interact all with each others, maybe i’m missing something…
All in all we know David used this beast
So if you or other follower may suggest any setting for our gilmour tone, i’ll be very thanks
PS- Of course i know this is not the best amp for gilmour tones, but i want to know how he used
JAIME
[I haven’t tried this amp myself but you don’t really have much to go on other than trying to find the best setting for the tone. You can also try to link the inputs. Place a short cable in the lower bright and upper normal and plug your guitar into the upper bright. Adjust the two volume controls but leave the normal volume higher than the bright. Now, you may find this to sound very bright but try it and see how it goes with your guitar and pedals. – Bjorn]
Oh Stephen, my brother from another mother! Sunce you bought thise Nos Mullards, and the Svetlana Winged C’s, you have become a total tube junkie. Are they really making THAT much difference over JJs, or my Mullard RIs? I haven’t read the articles yet, because I know the new mullards are Mullards in name only, but am going to read them now, so I can see the actual difference. Give me a holler!
Your pal, Grampa Ebb!
He’ll. when you upgraded your Laney Cub 12r to jj tubes did you have to change the bias setting? Any change needed when you upgraded your speakers too?
[I don’t remember but I don’t think I adjusted it. – Bjorn]
Here is another Effectrode just posted about the history of the Mullard Blackburn factory. Its an interesting read for those tube junkies among us.
Cheers!
http://www.mullardmagic.co.uk/mullard/blog.aspx?month=2012-9
Hey Bjorn and friends, Perhaps you caught this article that Effectrode just shared.
Two really great articles on the differences between a Blackburn era Mullard made in England and the modern Mullard made in Russia.
http://www.effectrode.com/signal-tubes/mullard-ecc83-12ax7-reissue-original-physical-comparison/
http://www.effectrode.com/signal-tubes/mullard-ecc83-12ax7-reissue-original-electrical-comparison/
Enjoy!
Cheers
Stephen
[Thanks for the links! – Bjorn]
Waou!! The Lullabies in a Car Crash album preview sounds amazing Bjørn..
-Definitely gonna buy that one and congratulations with albumrelease.
I’m thinking about upgrading to a high-end guitar combo and I feld in love with the Fender 57′ Deluxe (Thoug it’s quit expensive). Do you have any evaluation on that one and would you list 3 examples on good amps (in your Gilmourish opinion) in the middle/high-end class?
[Thanks for your support, Mathias! The Deluxe is a great amp. Very versatile, with a classic Fender tone. Personally, I’m very fond of the Bassman and I do also want to recommend the Laney Lionheart L20. Cheers! – Bjorn]
Although it’s fairly hard to get at least in Germany, I’d recommend the Traynor Iron Horse. Pretty simple one-channel amp which works well together with all my pedals and can be used in a 15 or 40w setup. Furthermore, it’s rock solid and very small, which makes it easy to transport…
Just recently bought a Fender Vibrolux Reverb amp and it’s got an amazing tone to it!!!!! Sounds even better when you run a pedal board through it with a 3 single coil strat. You can get anywhere from Hendrix to Yngwie Malmsteen on it!!
I must throw my Ibanez TS 15 H head, and 1×12 Matching white Tolex cab in the amp section for those searching for a great, low wattage, high headroom tube amp. Very Gilmourish tones when not using the built in Tube Screamer, only slight break up at full volume. On 15 watt setting, you won’t get to full volume. It’s the loudest 15 watts I’ve heard. If you can handle yourself with a music shop salesperson, you can pick a new one up for just over $500.00, and just pop in a set of JJ’S, and you’ll be in heaven. It also has a 5 watt setting, and engage the TS circuit, and aaB’d against a 50 watt plexi head, both through a Marshall 4×12 loaded with Greenbacks, the only difference we heard was a bit higher volume from the plexi, but not as much as we expected. It’s a great little amp, for home, or small room jams, just stay away from the 30 watt models, they suck, and are cheaply made. ,the 15 H, is bulletproof, and sounds great. I believe Bjorn played through one with stock tubes, which makes more difference in this amp than any I’ve seen. Perhaps that’s due to the JJ’s being twice the size of the no name Chinese tubes that are stock. The difference is night, and day, and no biasing is needed because it’s cathode biased. I’ll remind you all again in a year, haha!
Check it out, a quick listen can’t hurt!!!!
Peace, Keith
I read most of the blog for small combo amps. At 61yrs old I submit the following.
I’m tired of lifting heavy amps just to gig downtown in blues jams (I live in Bangkok).
I bought an H&K Tubemeister 18 combo. Great size at 20 lbs. Celestion was a bit mushy with early break up. I did two things to make it a gorilla in a bread box. I changed the speaker to a Weber Neodymium D110. It added about a pound to the total weight. I changed the tubes from Chinese to JJ Tubes. I use JJ for every one of my amps. They are consistent and provide good signal to noise.
The Weber Neo gave me about 1/3 more headroom and noticeable volume increase before break up.
I ordered the speaker with a paper dome. The metal one would have been over brilliant and brittle.
The bottom end thunders for a 10 inch. This amp keeps up with the big boy combos very well now.
[Thanks for sharing, Rick! I recently got a Tubemeister 18 my self and like you, swapped the tubes for JJs. Awesome sounding amp :) – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn
Would the Effectrode Blackbird preamp and lionheart l20 poweramp combo produce some nice gilmourish tones? Have you tried the Blackbird yet?
Thanks!
[Haven’t tried it so I can’t really comment on it. Send Phil over at Effectrode an e-mail and ask. He’s very helpful. – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn, great article as always. have you ever tried Brunetti amps? top notch quality amps IMHO
[Heard good things but never tried them. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn…hope you’re well
Do you have any idea about VOX night train 50?
[Never tried it. – Bjorn]
Thanks for the advice about Laney Lionheart!
Please, could you confirm that you replaced the Valves into the Lionheart L-20 with JJ electronics:
– JJ ECC83 S X3 for preamp
– JJ EL 84 -6BQ5 X4 for power
Thnaks again .
Stephan
[Yepp, that’s it :) – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn, thanks for your answer and for the new bedroom guide, very useful tips!
In the previous comment you didn’t mention the Blues Junior, it isn’t a good alternative to the cub for bedroom? And, last question, I see on your fb page you recently swapped the cub with a Tubemeister18, that seems really useful for bedroom and record. What’s your first impression, do you reccomend it?
Thanks, and keep the good work!
Cheers,
Luca
[The Blues Jr is a great sounding amp. A bit too loud for a typical bedroom perhaps but it depends on how loud you’re able to play. The Tube keister is a really nice amp. Very tight and transparent tone. The clean channel is awesome but doesn’t handle pedals that well so I’m using the gain channel. No worries though. The amp has TONS of headroom. One of the better buys I’ve done in a while :) And its TINY! – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn,
I have a problem with my drummer wich plays hard like a mammoth would.
I’m back from rehearsals and I’ve decided to uprgarde from my laney Cub head to the next level.
Of course I’ve seen the many comments about Lionheart and the L20Head that I’m looking at actually… There’s a used one at a local store I’m about to buy…
Just would like to be sure that I could get the same tones than with Laney Cub head: Gilmour type Hiwatt tones, which stay clean at loud volumes, fitted with Jj Valves like you did, and trough my 2X12″cab fitted with the Reeves Purple Vintage Fane Clones.
So i’d like to be sure how the Lionheart head works with your Waber thames? (because you’ve written that you use it with celestion V30…)
Then, if I understand well, i’ll also be able to get Marshall JTM type of tones from the amp. Is it with the drive channel or the clean pushed very hard? Would anyway the amp, once set clean, do a great job as a clean base for Wampler Plextortion or Marshall Guvnor? I mean turning the beast into a JCM 800 with those pedals…
I’m aware that such expectations would require to plug the head into Celestions speakers…
And Please, could you confirm that you replaced all the Valves into the Lionheart with:
– ECC83 S X3 for preamp
– EL 84 -6BQ5 X4 for power
I hope this is not too much questions!!!
have a good night!
Stephan
Berlin
[Hi Stephan! First of all, tell your drummer to calm down. The guitar needs to be heard :) The Lionheart is not identical to the Cub. Not at all. The Cub is somewhat similar to the Hiwatts, with a fairly dark tone. The Lionheart is brighter, although it can be set very dark, and it has a more vintage Marshall/Vox kind of tone. The clean channel is a very nice basis for all kinds of pedals although you might find that Muffs and fuzz sound better on the drive channel with the gain turned almost all the way down. You should also experiment with the normal/bright switch to see which you prefer. The V30s sound more balanced and has a bit more mid range compared to the G12M’s that came with the amp. It works OK with the Webers too but personally I prefer the V30s for this one. – Bjorn]
Thanks Stephen, it seems to be what I’m locking for. I’ll check the kemper.
I got to say, I bought a Fender 65′ DRRI head and I am blown away. Channel one handles my Gilmour pedals beautifully. Channel 2 doesn’t handle pedals well, but there is a bright cap clip mod that can be done. I also own a Laney Cub 12r, which to be honest I really don’t care for it, always sounds blanketed. As for the DRRI I usually compensate for the brightness through my tone knobs on my pedals. I am kind of entertaining the idea of buying a Blackstar HT20, have you played one Bjorn? I seem to prefer amps that are somewhat brighter.
[Yes, the DRRI is a very nice amp :) Very different from the Cub and Hiwatts though. My impression of the Blackstar is that it’s a fairly aggressive amp. It has a fair amount of headroom but little mid range, giving the amp and more rock and metal character. Still, you should be able to get some really nice Gilmourish tone out of it. – Bjorn]
@ Adi,
I have not tried that system but the Kemper Profiling amp may be of interest to you. Direct into board, no speakers needed and it can model your exact amp if you prefer that tone over all the other options. It is truly a break through in technology…
Cheers
Stephen
Hello,
As is mentioned elsewhere a great mod for an amp is the Evidence Audio Siren cab speaker wire upgrade. Sam Davidsaver at E.A.R.S. Pro Audio (link on homepage) did me an amazing favor replacing the cab wiring for my Laney Cub 12r 2 x 12 cabinet. Bjorn is right, it is like having a wet blanket removed from covering your amp. I also replaced the cable between the head and cab. Such easily overlooked upgrades are well worth it and Sam is a great source for all things Evidence Audio.
Best,
[Sam is a great guy, indeed! – Bjorn]
Hi again
And also, would the Weber Thames in a Lionheart produce some nice tones? Which one would suit the Lionheart better- the V30 or the Weber Thames?
Thanks a lot!
[V30s I think. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn
What is your experience with the celestion v30 s? I find the stock speaker on my Lionheart 20w combo too dark and bassy, and I’m thinking maybe I’ll change it for a brighter sounding one. What would you suggest?
Thanks
[I changed mine because I found them too bright in the upper mids but they did have a lot of low end too. The V30s are perhaps a bit more balanced but also warmer sounding I think. They have more highs but appear warmer as they have less of that that spiky tone around 2kHz. – Bjorn]
Hi everybody. I’m having the (maybe crazy) idea to build an ultraportable setup, with a mini amp and three or four stomps for that gigs when I don’t want to carry my Fender pro (yes, it’s small, but I’m very lazy). I’ve a small 5w vox DA5 that sound pretty good (decent at least) at low volumes, of course, with the limitations of the 6in speaker. But sometimes 5w in solid state is just to low to keep up with a full band.
I saw a keyboard player using a 30w Roland CM30 but I haven’t the opportunity to play with it, but I’m wondering if it could be a good portable guitar amp. Of course, I’ll need a direct box and maybe some kind of amp emulator, or carry the DA5 and use its line out (but that means that I’ll have to carry to amps). In the end, it will be similar to connect the guitar direct to a mixer and to the PA.
The question is, Does anybody have the opportunity of using a CM30 as a guitar amp? How it performs?
[I don’t… Anyone else here? – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn, congrats for the new site and the last YT clips, the tone and playing are amazing!
I have some question for my home’s practicing/recording amp. I planned to change the speaker on my Cub 12 r but I had some issue on the amp, last one the reverb is gone, and I’m thinking to change to something more reliable but always for home studio work. Do you think the 15-20Watt range combos like Blues Junior or Laney Lionheart L20T are too loud? Maybe the L5T has enough clean headroom for studio use? Or maybe changing the speaker still worth on the Cub? I would appreciate your suggestion in terms of reliability and versatility always having the possibility to dial in the Gilrmourish tones!
Lastly, can’t wait to hear the new solo album!
Cheers,
Luca
[Hi Luca! Thanks for all your kind words and your support :) The Cub is a great sounding beginner level/practice amp but now that you’re considering an upgrade I would definitely suggest something better, both in terms of quality and tone. I can’t really praise the Lionheart high enough. An awesome sounding amp, for some many different tones, including Gilmour. The L5 doesn’t have all that headroom but it depends on how hard you’ll be driving it. It may work nicely in a bedroom. The L20 sounds great on lower volume too and you’ll have an amp that will deliver when you move on to stage or in a studio. – Bjorn]
Hi bjorn. Thanks for your answe.
My only concern about buying only the lionheart head is that it s not good for gilmour tones, am i right? As you stated and as said on many forums, the lionheart works better with dark speakers like celestion g12h and is much like a vox ac 30. It s better suited for deep purple and led zep tones…Far from gilmour tones. Much better using a cub with fane type speakers. I love the airbag second album but it is much more darker than gilmour in terms of guitar. I know you’ve used lionheart on that album. I love the album butTo me honestly the guitar tones are much more ala porcupine tree or anathema. Darker tones ala marshall or vox. Would you agree with me if i told you that the cub is the ideal studio companion for gilmour hiwatt tones, plugged into weber thames or fane clones… and please could you tell me what you thonk about lionheart plugged into your weber thames cab?
Last question, do you think that the gap in terms of price between laney cub head and reeves 50 w is filled today by a model in the same qality and range of price than the mionheart l20 h? An amp in the same balls park than laney cub and your reeves, but priced more like the lionheart?
Best regards,
Julian
[I wasn’t trying to emulate David’s tones on the last Airbag album so you’re right in your assumption. And yes, the Lionheart is a darker sounding amp but since you’re asking for my advice I would say that it’s a much better amp than the Cub both in terms of value, design and tone. It’s definitely capable of replicating David’s tones. BUt, I can only speak for my self. I love the amp but try both if you can and make up your own mind :) – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn :)
I’m seriously considering buying the Lionheart L20H but I have some questions about it’s use on stage…
Did it handle most of the venues you did with it!?
Just wondering because I play mostly at small clubs an occasionally some bigger venues (300 + seats) and could really use something a bit more loud and better than my main amp (A vintage boutique amp)
Cheers ;)
[No problem. I assume you’ll be micing it and maybe use a front stage monitor as well but the amp is LOUD and you’ll be able to hear it on fairly big stages. – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn ,
I’d like to have your advice before buying an amp head (or two!!). I’ve sold 2 vintage heads (a 1973 Sound city 50watt head + Marshall JCM 900 from the 90’s) a few years ago.
Now I have 2 cabs left: One fitted with Clestion G12h30 (55): Think Hendrix / Page / Blackmore / Cream
The other will be fitted in order to play Pink Floyd songs : I’m waiting for Weber Thames speakers.
Here’s my question: Knowing that I own a LOT of pedals (among them 50 % dedicated to gilmour tones, and the other great “amp like” pedals like Catalinbread / wampler Plexi…), Would you go for Laney Cub head, or Laney Lionheart L20H? I’mlooking for a clean sound base, than I’ll build the tone with pedals.
As you mentioned many times before, the two amps are differents, Cub being a Hiwatt clone, and Lionheart darker, VoX ac30 to Marshall JTM 45 Clone. I guess the ideal would be to buy the Cub head for the Weber thames Cab, and Lionheart for the Celestion G12H cab, but If you had to buy one? That could handle both situations? What would be your choice?
Or maybe would you buy anything else?
I would be lucky if you could help me….
Regards,
Julian
[Hi Julian :) Both amps sound great and as you’ve pointed out they cover different grounds. That being said, the Lionheart is really in a different league compred to the Cub. The Cub is nice but it’s a bedroom/practice amp. The Lionheart is a great sounding stage and studio amp, although great for bedrooms too :) Given that you’ve owned good amps earlier and have a lot of pedals I’d definitely go for the Lionheart. – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn and Cem, My Reeves Custom 50 has 3 voltage options on the back so I can use it in the US or Europe without any issue. It just needs a different cable plugged in and the switch changed. Works awesome. I am having the same system installed on my Fender Twin!
Hi Bjorn
What did you do about the mains voltage difference between the USA and Europe when you received your Reeves Custom 50?
Thanks!
[They build them upon order so you need to specify the voltage and they deliver the proper setup. – Bjorn]
Ive been looking at the reeves custom 12. Any thoughts on this amp?
[A very nice Marhsall JTM model. Not typical Hiwatt. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
What do you think about the Hiwatt Custom 7 Head ?
And what cab can we plug on it ?
Regards.
Gibsder
[I haven’t tried it so I can’t really tell… – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn.
First of all, my compliments to you on the site. I must have read every article, although this is the first time I have left a comment.
I have a question for you. I am very much interested in the Laney Lionheart amp, but due to the happenstance of various special offers at the moment, I could try the 20 watt with 12 inch speaker cheaper than the five watt; I could buy the 20 watt with 4 by 10 inch Jensen alnico speakers even cheaper still (ex demo). My question is, would either of these two be a good option for almost exclusively bedroom (or attic) use, or would they be too much? How would the alnico compare with the Celestion green for someone chasing Gilmourish tones?
[Thanks for your kind words! The L20 is loud and might be a bit too much for bedrooms but it has no problem with low volume and doesn’t loose any tone. – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn, I’ll be a bit off topic, but could you please give your laney Cub settings back when your home pedalboard (pictured on your facebook page)was fitted with Wampler Plexidrive, MXR Distortion +, Carl Martin plexitone…
You said it was a very cool and versatile Gibbons / Rhoads / IommI pedalboard….with your Lespaul of Course.
+ did you have your banana drive booster into the effect loop? 5W or 15 W input?
Thanks for your help!
Best regards,
Sebastien
[Oh… I’m having a hard time remembering what I did last night! LOL :) I think I was using the boost at time… set for a mild clean slight volume boost for pushing the output section. I used the 15w. The settings been pretty much the same since I got the amp… check out pictures here. – Bjorn]
Hi, there are a lot of comments on here, too many to read through so perhaps you may have already answered this question or something like it. Would you recommend a Fender Princeton Reverb 65 reissue for Gilmour tones and would it be suitable for home use with pedals?.
[Absolutely. A great sounding amp with a classic Fender tone. Personally I think Fenders combined with Big Muffs and other typical Gilmour pedals can be a tad too bright so you might want to look into pedals that have more mid range. – Bjorn]
hello again,thanks for replying ..just one last question..which is better “Fender Champion 600” or “laney cub8” for gilmourish sound as i am extremely tight on my budget..i will be using behringer and boss pedals.. looking forward for your solo album “lullabies in a car crash”
thanks!!
[I’d go for the Cub :) – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
First, congratulations for your website !!!!
I want to buy a Blues Junior, but actually there’s many configurations with differents speakers (Eminence Cannabis Rex, Jensen C12K, Jensen C12N, Jensen P12Q, Jensen P12R, Celestion…..).
Which is the best choice to have the best gilmourish tone).
Thanks !!!
JC
[I like the Cannabis Rex but check out this article for some tips… http://billmaudio.com/wp/?page_id=295 – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn
What do you think about the ’65 Deluxe Reverb in terms of gilmourish tones at home? Is it louder than the 20w Lionheart?
Cheers!
[personally I’m not a big fan of Fender amps. It’s just a personal taste. On low volume and for the amp to handle all the Gilmourish pedals, you’d want a lot of mid range, which the typical Fenders doesn’t have. Still it’s a timeless amp and you can’t really go wrong with it. It sounds very different to the Lionheart, which is more of a Marshall/Vox kind of thing. – Bjorn]
hii.. can laney cub 8 will be suitable for getting gilmourish tone at bedroom level?
[It doesn’t’ have the headroom of the Cub12 but you should be able to get some nice Gilmour tones with it :) – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn, I picked up a Laney L20 head, it really sounds good but it is too dark for my taste. I might have the possibility to take a Ceriatone Dizzy 30 (Matchless DC30 clone). According to the samples and the reviews it sound really good…Do you have any experience with it? Do you think I would (also) get into “gilmourish” territories with it? Thanks ;-)
[I don’t have much experience with Matchless but based on what I’ve heard it should do the job. Ceriatone makes some really nice stuff! – Bjorn]
I second that, the Fane AXA12 100w is awesome! Great speaker, love mine!
Hello, bjorn mate you do an awsome job with this site, no other guitarist has a site as good as this one. I bought the marshall sl5 Marshall. I can honestly say its the best sound amp i have ever heard, clean channel has miles of headroom. The overdrive channel is something to here. The sl5 has a vintage 30 celeston speaker 12 inch. The amp can go from 5 watts to 1 watt, but, i can say the 1 watt is still loud for bedroom set up. I really recommend this amp, for recording, practice small gigs. Really worth a try even if you not into slashs style.
[Thanks for your kind words and tip, David! – Bjorn]
Can you describe what you mean by “that super bright Hiwatt tone”? I have the cub12R and am constantly trying to dial in the Syd’s Theme\Echoes intro as my clean tone. Any advice in general for that or tube\speaker suggestions?
[The Hiwatt it self is on the darker side, as is the Cub, but the Fane speaker is very bright with very little mid range. I’d go for a Celestion or similar. – Bjorn]
the Weber Thames is best. Between original actual Fanes, the AXA12 100W is great.from WGS choice the Reaper 30w is great. From Celestion the V30 is the best( ie. used in the Laney Lionheart cab) these are my personal experience used all of them. Another option from Britain , Tayden Retro 55 is great, regarding the reviews available. On Ebay sometimes Hiwatt HeavyDuty Speakers ( made by Fane) are available seperately. Take into consideration that te age of the speaker is a risk indeed.
Kind regards:Gabor
Hi Bjorn,
Could you suggest 2 or 3 speakers to replace the stock speaker of a Laney Cub 10? Do you recommend, for example, the Celestion V30 or Green Back? What about Eminence?
Thankful for you site and help!
[I really don’t have that much experience with different speakers. I have a pair of Weber Thames 80w Fane type models in mine but I really don’t recommend this unless you’re looking for that super bright Hiwatt tone. I guess the best match would be V30s or Green Backs or similar models from other brands. – Bjorn]
Hello again Bjorn! There’s this website, Ceriatone, that sells clones of a lot of different vintage amps, and kits to put them together yourself. I myself was wondering if I could get away with using a Plexi clone rather than a Hiwatt, for a Gilmourish, and overall prog rock tone (think Fripp, Hackett, Barre, Howe, those guys are my heroes), as well as the Hendrix thing. Thoughts?
[We have a Ceriatone JCM800 in the band and it sounds just awesome! Highly recommended! The old Plexis are very similar to the Hiwatts although a bit less headroom. Make sure you get one with a master volume or you’ll have a hard time taming it. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
What are some 5W tube amps which are versatile as well low budget too? Considering the Combo amp?
[Check out the guide in this feature :) – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn,
I’m looking at getting either the Hiwatt T20 Head and Cab or the Laney Cub 12 Head and Cab. The price differential between the two is about $400, and I was wondering if the Hiwatt is worth the extra cash, or if I should just go with the Laney. I’m usually playing in the bedroom, but occasionally I get a small gig with my friends that I play at. I’m looking more for a strong clean sound that can handle pedals well. I know the Hiwatt name is associated with Gilmour, but would it really get me closer to the tones I’m looking for (thinking Pompeii/DSotM clean) than the Laney? Thanks in advance!
[Both amps sound great. The Cub is somewhere between a Hiwatt and early Marshall, with the Hiwatt is a Hiwatt… I think maybe the Hiwatt is a better option if you intend to do a gig now and then. It has a bit more power and a sturdier design. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
thank you for your awesome website.
I have followed you suggest and so I got a Laney Cub 12R combo (+ Harley Benton guitar cabinet with 1×12″ Celestion Vintage 30 speaker).
Cheers,
Martin (Slovakia)
[Thanks Martin and congrats on your amp :) – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn, any experience with the Fender Custom ’68 Deluxe Reverb? It has two channels, the first one seems to deliver a Bassman-esque tone while the second traditional Fender Twin tone… please tell us your thoughts on the amp, it would be very apreciated (I still havent found the “right” amp..)
Thank you very much for your help Bjorn
[Sorry for my late reply, Tom. I don’t have much experience with it other than plugging into one a few times. It has a nice classic Fender character. Very versatile and I imagine a nice amp for Gilmour’s tones… as well as lots of other styles. – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn,
I know its not a budget amp, but have you seen the new Hiwatt Little D with the WEM cab? Any chance you’re going to get your hands on one for a review?
[I’ve seen it. I haven’t planned on reviewing it but I’m sure it’s a nice amp. Make no mistake though, this is not a Gilmour signature amp or affiliated in any way with Gilmour. Sadly they’ve just used a cheap marketing trick and it isn’t the first time. The WEM cab is also a fake and has noting in common with the original Starfinder cabs of the early 70s. – Bjorn]
Hello bjorn, i have been trying to decide on a valve amp to buy. Currently have a line6 spider 3 75, great practice amp, with head phones and mp3 input, but, its solid state so a little too clinical. I know marshal is not the typical amp used for gilmour emulation, but am liking what i am hearing about the slash sl5 , perfect for bed room 5>1watt. Slash being my second preferred guitarist after gilmour. Maybe i need to get a cub and a slash. Bring airbag to Australia one day love to hear ya live
[Hi David! The SL5 is a very nice sounding amp with a classic JCM type of marshall tone. Warm and punchy clean and creamy distortion. I think this is one of Marshalls better amps in that range and it should be a nice alternative for your Gilmour tones as well :) – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn…What do you think of Mesa Transatlantic 15w Head? I’m realliy courious about it because, as far as I read, you neverm metion it…I have it but I was wondering if a Laney Lionheart 20 or a Hiwatt T20 might be better…I got the Transatlantic since it has different channels with differenf flavours…And I liked the fact that it has an AC/Top Boost Side…
If you have time this a video of the band I play in, Nothing Hill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKUO9MWypQQ
Thanks ;-)
[The Mesa has a much more modern tone and slightly more aggressive, similar to the Rectifier. The Lionheart sounds like a cross between a AC30 and early JTM Marshall. Vintage and war. The T20 has a typical Hiwatt flavour with a bright character and lots of headroom. Depends on what you want really. I like all three but they serve different applications. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
Thanks for your site !
I never find user informations about the Laney IRT30-112 Ironheart.
What’s wrong with this amp ?
In the line, it’s the perfect one for bedroom (powersoak) and gigs, reverb, fx loop, under 700€ …
But i’m think, nobody try this one ?
I’m looking for this one but not easy to try this in France,…
I’m (starting) to play from gilmour to system of a down (sic) what’s your opinion ?
[Never tried the Ironheart so I can’t really tell… – Bjorn]
I read that you changed some parts in yours what did you do?
Speaker and tubes?
If so what tubes did you put in?
Thank you!
Keep faith!
[Replaced all the stock tubes, I think they were TADs, with same value JJ Electronics. They got a bit more punch, with more warmth and low end. I also replaced the speakers with Weber Thames 80w ceramics. This is a very bright setup and perhaps not for everyone. Celestions might be a better choice for the amp but I wanted something slightly different :) – Bjorn]
Hi long time lurker but never posted here.
I definitely love your site and it really helped me to choose my guitar and my amp which is a Laney Cub 12R. However I didn’t resist to change the OEM speaker with a brand new Celestion Greenback and I am looking about change the cheap china tube !
Anyways this amp have a really good OEM tone it’s just my nature to change everything !
[Absolutely and a few upgrades makes it an excellent amp! – Bjorn]
Hi bjorn…..hope you’re well
First of all congratulations for your latest AirBag Album….it’s brilliant, i appereciate you Sir…:-)
i want to ask you to write your review about JC120 Amp…thank you
[Thanks Ali! I’ll keep the JC120 in mind for a future update of the guide :) – Bjorn]
Hi bjorn i have a palmer cam with 2celestion greenback speaker 25 watt would this work great with the lanet cub head thanks bjorn
[I imagine it would :) – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
Thank you for this wonderful site.
I need a versatile combo for home. What do you think about the Fender Pro Junior. And specifically about this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSh-jbBhbo8&hd=1. It is made on the basis of Pro Junior. It costs about $ 330 in my country. While the rest of the recommended combo is much more expensive, or not represented at all.
Cheers!
Alexander
[I haven’t tried the Yerasov but the Pro Junior is a nice amp, with classic Fender tones. Not too much headroom so it might not be the best choice for Big Muffs and fuzz pedals but again, a nice amp. It’s also worth checking you the Laney Cub series. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
is the first time I surfed you website. let me say it’s awesome.
I’m right about to buy a small combo with gilmour-oriented tone but also versatile. I’m playing most of ald 70’s stuff from zeppelin, sabbath, deep purple and lot of hendrix style tunes. as i’m not playing in big venues that much, 20w I think will be the best solution
I was oriented on the HIWATT T20 combo but also like the LANEY lionheart. unfortunately, near where i live, no one has an HIWATT T series to try. in that case i would need to buy first.
which amp you will recommend best?
Welcome to the site, Marco! The T20 and Lionheart are two very different amps. While both has a nice headroom and can produce David’s tones very well, the Hiwatt has a considerably more transparent tone, with a bit of upper mid range boost as well. The Lionheart has a fairly scooped tone and does sound darker. Given the bands you’ve listed, I would say that the Lionheart is the best choice. – Bjorn]
Oh By the way,
Could you tell me if the Mooer RAT Clone is a great pedal? I mean a good as the hartman, the BYOC or the Jam pedals?
thanks again,
Steven
[It feature the old LM308 chip and it’s definitely worth checking out. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
What would be your choice in order to get a Vox type of tone:
For the same price, buying a Carl Martin Ac Tone that I would put in front of my laney Cub head?
or buying a brand new Mooer Little Monster AC Head?
Have you tried the little monster series and both Ac and BM heads?
Best regards,
Steven
[I haven’t tried any of those so I can’t really comment… – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
what’s your experience with equipment like the Two Notes Live for bedroom/home studio?
It has been getting very positive reviews and I guess it does solve several problems in the amp world (specially in the bedroom context):
. Volume is no longer an issue on the amp. You can always run the amp and the optimum level/gain.
. You can run some effects after it which is normal in studios, so producing the best tones in real time. With some effects you can even do mono -> stereo after the amp
. You don’t have to have a speaker cab (can go directly to full range speakers)
. Many cabs/mics available
I have never tried it but the only con I see with it is its price. With one unit of this I could buy a damn good amp…
Thanks,
Luis.
[Never tried it my self but it looks very interesting… Guess I have to check it out :) – Bjorn]
Why not the Blackstar ht 40 club. Great amp for only $700.
Hello!
What setting you recommend for a Gilmour tone with a Marshall 2061x, a Strat with Fender CS 69 and a RAT?
Thank you
[Try the settings suggested in this article and tweak your way around that :) – Bjorn]
Ps: in addition to the above,I should add that I’m specifically only looking at practice amps suited for playing in small- medium sized bedrooms only.
Visiting your site has now become a daily routine but each visit seem to reveal little nuggets that I seem to miss on earlier visits! So thank you for such in-depth work!
Danke!
Debargho
[Thanks a lot for your kind words! Glad you enjoy the site :) See my previous reply. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
Thanks for the hard work on the site. I was wondering if you have played a Fender Champion 600 via pedals? Example: Strat>Buffalo FX Patriot>Compressor/sustain>Dover Driver>jam Effects Rattler>Mooer Ensamble King>MXR Phase 90>TC Electronics Flashback > fender Champion 600.
Would you think that the Champion 600 is able to take all of the above without buckling?
What other similar 5-10W amp can you suggest as an alternative?
Cheers!
Debargho
[The 600 doesn’t take pedals that well. It can handle a RAT, some modulation and delay but it doesn’t have a lot headroom and pedals like the Patriot and fuzz pedals doesn’t work that well. Other than that, your set up should do. Check out the Laney Cub series as well :) – Bjorn]
Hahaha, ok Bjorn, thank you man!! Keep up with the good work!
Mm…I understand that the stack has more headroom, please correct me if I’m wrong… I know you don’t know what kind of clean im searching for, or if my drummer plays really loud, but do you think the combo one would have enough headroom? Last question haha, thanks Bjorn, take care!
[I would think so but don’t hold me against it :) We play loud and my stack works nicely. – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn, what do you think about the Laney Lionheart 20 combo for smaller gigs? I can’t find the head + cabinet here in Chile :( (only could find the L50H haha a bit too much maybe for smaller gigs…)
Anyway, clean headroom is my concern… how clean is the L20 with vintage-ish single coils? I was previously considering an AC15c2 as I told ya’ a while ago…but it might not be enough for gigs.
Thanks in advance :) !
[I’ve used my L20 stack on gigs with 500-700 seats and it works nicely. Just a hint of guitar in the front monitor… Depending on how hard you drive your pedals, the L20 has a nice headroom but it will start to break around 1-2 o’clock with 60s single coils. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn
Hello, I have the opprtunity to buy an ampli peavey classic 30 but I hesitate between the 2 models, the older one (with an attenuator of volume) and the new model.
The first is sold 300 €
http://www.leboncoin.fr/instruments_de_musique/651261511.htm?ca=15_s
the second 370 €.
http://www.leboncoin.fr/instruments_de_musique/651340793.htm?ca=15_s
My choice will be the fisrt one for 300 € because of the attenuator of volume as I would play this amp either at home, and either in small club, what would be your choice ?
is there many differences between these two models ?
Thank you for your answer
Kind regards
[I haven’t tried the first version so I can’t tell if there is a different. Different speaker maybe? An attenuator is always handy but keep in mind that it won’t do much if you’re using the amp for clean tones. It’s meant to be used when you crank the amp for distortion but don’t want all the volume. For cleans, you’ll get more or less the same result just by lowering the volume and in many cases, it even sounds better. – Bjorn]
This one’s for everyone thinking about a VOX AC15;
I’ve been playing through mine for a little over 2 years and could never get a nice Gilmour (lead) tone(the ‘top boost’ channel is good for a fizzy Syd Barrett tone though). BUT one day (about 7 months ago) I got a little intoxicated and tried to run both the ‘Top Boost’ and the ‘Normal’ channel at the same time, it worked like a charm and gave me a perfect clean Gilmour tone (cranking both channels’ volume knobs will give an instant Rory Gallagher growl)! Vox’s are no plug-and-play amps nevertheless they get really sweet when you get the hang of them.
I run the channels at the same time by plugging a korg dt-10 tuner (output and bypass jacks) into them.
Peace Out
[Thanks for sharing! – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
I’m searching for a good quality tube amp for my bedroom, and the Laney amps sound really good, but while the stack version of the 20w Lionheart is awesome (although a little outside my price range), the combo seems to be more adequate for a bedroom setup (the combo is also really good IMO). Nevertheless, I wanted to hear your opinion on the subject. Which one do you prefer, and why?
Thanks a bunch!
[The combo should be enough for bedrooms. The L20 stack is very loud and doesn’t have a scaling. The stack model has more headroom but the combo should be able to provide the headroom you need for your pedals. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn
In a local Music store, I saw the Fender pawn shop series of amps, do you think it possible to use one, as the Fender Ramparte, for some Gilmourish sounds, With the proper pedal setup? Looks like a fun and unusual amp, I just dont got experience with tube amps, and dont know if its really versatile. Do you think it would handle some home, and later perhaps small gigging with gilmourish sound?
Thanks for the great site with lots of nice reviews. for a newbie guitarist with no knowledge about effects and pedals, it is a great help.
Kim
[Hi Kim! Neither of the Pawn Shop amps are ideal for David’s tones. I’m sure you can dial in some OK tones but they don’t have that much headroom and the overall tone tends more towards rock. I think they’re meant to be used as is, without too many pedals. They’re fun to play around with but personally, I think there are better options on the market… like the ones mentioned in this giude. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
I’m looking to set up a Laney Cub head and stack like yours. I was able to find that you are using JJ tubes, but which one are they (excuse me if this sounds like a stupid question, I’m new to all of this and don’t know much on these.) Also I was able to find that you have also changed the speakers in the stack to Weber Thames ceramic are they the 8 ohms? Have you also made any other modifications?
Your website is an amazing bank of information and knowledge.
Thanks for your time and keep up amazing work.
Tom
[I replaced the stock tubes, I think they were TAD’s, with JJs and the same value. Not a huge difference but I think the JJs are better balanced and they have a bit more low end. The cab is loaded with Weber Thames ceramics and wired for 8ohms. Keep in mind that these are very bright sounding speakers so you might be experiencing that your overdrives and distortions gets a bit too bright and maybe harsh Some tweaking on the amp and pedals should take care of that but if you want something darker and maybe a bit more versatile, then you might want to consider some Celestion V30s or similar. – Bjorn]
Hi again Björn
First of all, thanks a bunch for all your help.
I’m about to sell my lovely Laney Lionheart, which I bought on your recommendation. The Lionheart is incredible, and I have several doubts about selling but now it´s to late and in steed i´m buying a Super sonic 22.
My question is. How is this a degradation and how can I be happy for my new Fender Super Sonic 22?
I know it might sound strange but I’m so much in doubt about this..
Please cheer me up? – My girlfriend don´t understand.. :-)
[Ha ha :) Well, they’re two very different amp. While the Lionheart is a typical British tone, with a rather dark yet punchy early Marshall/VOX kind of tone, the Fender is very American, with a bright and scooped tone. I can’t say that one is better than the other because it depends on what tones you want. They’re both great sounding amps. Personally I prefer the Lionheart and I think it goes well with the typical Gilmour pedals, but Gilmour has been using Fenders for decades and you should definitely be able to dial in some great tones with it. Spend some time getting to know the amp and make the needed adjustments to your pedals to match the amp. Cheers! – Bjorn]
Fuck yes, a supersonic will get you the closest tone. Plus you aren’t stuck with one sound. Bassman/ vibrolux/ sounds great with pedals. Natural tube breakup. Screw digital and all these off brand amps. Be yourself not Gilmore.
Well, I ask ’cause I have a Vox Pathfinder (haven’t compared to a real tube AC30, but over the net almost everybody says it sounds like an AC30) and I can’t get it to sound right with an Eleclady (as you know, a very bright pedal) and a tele on the bridge pickup…veeeeery trebly sounds…
any tips on how to tame a vox for a gilmourish’s sound? And finally… i’ve been trying to understand how a clean hiwatt sounds with Gilmour but haven’t found a really “clean” example (always with od, fuzz or muff), do you know a good Floyd example? Thanks!
Cheers, and sorry for my questions, this is the only place where i’ve found good answers.
[I don’t have any particular setting for VOX but try not to use the boost and keep the gain and treble low. Increase the mids but be careful with the bass as well. Too high will also cause a brighter tone. Try lowering the volume on your guitar to 9 to smooth out the highs. Keep in mind too that your position to the amp is also crucial. The amp will sound a lot brighter if you stand in front of it. Try to position yourself above or to its side and hear if that helps. – Bjorn]
Brad!! Im sorry to bother you…but have you used a flanger with your AC15c1? If so, does it sound bright (in a bad way, like too much brightness)? Cheers, and sorry Bjorn for stealing this space, ahh and Bjorn, have you played a Vox with a flanger?
Thanks!!
[Used the Mistress with an AC30. Sounded OK but for David’s tones, you really need to tame the treble on the Vox. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
I have followed you suggest and so I got a Laney Cub 12R.
I must say that I am happy it is really we can get a Gilmour’s tone at low volume playing at home.
If moreover we look at the prize it is a good amp to play at home.
Can you suggets if you use reverber and if yes the level do you set it?
I am using this setting for the rest:
bass 50%, treble 50-60%, dis 40%, Tone 60%
Thanks again and continue with your blog that it is great!
ciao Sebastiano
[I never use reverb but rather delay. Personally I’d set the treble at about 25% but that depends on the guitar and what pedals you use :) – Bjorn]
Hahaha, thank you so much Brad!!! Now im completely sure about the 15C2, thanks for taking your time helping me, I really apreciate it man, and you just said it all: Vox plus Single Coils = a really magic tone
I hope everything is doing fine for you!! Also thank you Bjorn, you’re always helping guys as confused as I was, and I know you don’t have much free time.
Airbag is really cool, maybe we’ll see you guys in Chile someday?
Cheers to you 2, from a rainy Chile
Chime On!
[Cheers, Tom! – Bjorn]
Tom,
You said two very key things–you don’t need pristine cleans and you use only single coils. Those things being the case, then it sounds like you’d be really happy with the AC15C2. I think its a really cool option between the C1 and the 15C2, if you don’t have the bread for an AC30 (which I can certainly understand). Plus you sounded sure about the C2 above, and sometimes we just have to follow our instincts and pull the trigger on something we’re excited on something when we’re able to buy.
Worst case scenario, a year or so from now you decide you’d rather have the AC30, then you can still get a decent resale value for the 15C2, and it’s “all good.”
Just a side note, you often hear people talking more about classic gibson type guitars with “british” amps like Vox. But–and to a large degree I think its exactly because of this headroom issue we’ve been talking about–single coils and ac30s or ac15s sound MAGICAL!
You’ll make the right call. I hope I could help and didn’t mean to hijack Bjorn’s site! I too have struggled andagonized over “this vs. that” questions, especially when it comes to amps, so I wanted to “chime” in (Vox pun).
Now get back to rockin’ Chile!
Brad
[Thanks for your input! – Bjorn]
Thanks a lot Brad!! Well, now im not sure about which amp haha, the only reason I have for getting the 15 rather than the 30 is price, but anyway the 30 is not that much more…but actually im not looking for fender-ish cleans and I only use single coils, considering this, would you recomend the 30? I would love a Peavey C30, but can’t find it here in Chile and I dont feel so sure about shipping an amp to my country
Cheers and thank you so much for your help Brad (also thank you too Bjorn, you’re a great guy!)
[Cheers, Tom! – Bjorn]
Tom,
I considered getting the AC15C2 many times, vs. the C1 and the AC30C2. I ended up with the AC15C1. Now that I’ve had that for a while and can compare it to some other amps I’ve known, my recommendation would be to save up a little and get the AC30C2, especially if you want any kind of clean tones without micing the amp. The AC15 is heaven for chimey “just on the edge of breakup” tones, through to crunch and saturation. A pure “clean” tone can be achieved with single coils, but it would most certainly have to be pumped through a PA in order to keep up with a band.
Yes, it’s true you will get a bigger sound with the second 12 inch speaker, and a little more clean headroom. The reason I say go for the AC30 is that the AC15C2 is already in the AC30C2 enclosure, so will basically be as heavy as the AC30. The only possible reason, in my opinion, that someone would want an AC15 over an AC30–besides the obvious cost difference–is that they don’t want to lug the AC30 around.
So if you’re ok with the size anyway, go with the increased headroom and features of the AC30. Also, you can get nice breakup out of the AC30 at AC15 volumes because of the Master Volume.
Just my .02. I have a ceramic Weber Blue Dog in the AC15 and it does sound great! But–especially if I’m playing a guitar with humbuckers–clean tones are hard to achieve at band levels, even on the “normal” channel.
I guess if you’re sure the amp will ALWAYS be miced, you can disregard all of the above, but it would be nice to have the clean “oomph” for those clubs where you otherwise wouldn’t need the PA.
In the same price range as the AC15, the Peavey Classic 30 will get you gig-able cleans and a great drive channel–just not that VOX character.
Cheers,
Brad
Hi Bjorn – i just wanted to give you a big “Thank You!” for this website and all of the helpful information you have put together as it has been invaluable in my gear shopping. The community here is also really great and I appreciate the helpful attitudes everyone has who posts. I have been listening to some Airbag too and really like it.
I’ve just gotten back into playing my electric with a band and have enjoyed all the information this site gives as I am slowly gearing back up. From reading the buyer’s guides I am currently running the following set-up:
Fender Strat -> Xotic SP compressor -> Maxon OD808 -> Big Muff Pi w/ Tone Wicker -> Super Champ X2
I only wish I had more money to spend but I am really liking the sounds I am getting. I am saving up for a delay pedal now but can also use some of the delay settings on the Super Champ which has a lot of flexibility as you can run pedals through Channel 1 (i like this the best) but you can also get some interesting voicings from Channel 2.
Thanks again for putting together such a quality collection of articles and reviews- i look forward to more of your reviews (especially the delay section) and check the site out whenever i am online!
[Hi Eddie! Thanks a lot for your kind words and for sharing! Good luck with your tone and playing :) – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn Wayne here, im looking to get my first tube amp to replace my Line 6 spider IV 75 and im really leaning towards the Ac15c1 by Vox but I want to know if I could emulate gilmour tones on this amp, if not I will have to get the blues junior. I really don’t want to buy an amp not suitable for Gilmour even though the Vox has impressed me.
Many thanks Wayne.
[Well, if the VOX has already impressed you, then I suggest you buy it. As much as you want to replicate David’s tones you sould also get an amp that suits your playing, choice of pedals and tone preference. VOX amps are on the brighter side and even a bit more aggressive than your typical Gilmour amp. Still, it will provide a nice basis for your Gilmour tones and pedals. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
I started to play David from some months.
I have already bought some pedals like Skreddy P19, Boss CS 2 and TC Flashback and I have to say I am happy with these.
Now, I need to buy a new ampl and for room reason I prefer a combo.
I have had the opportunity to test only the Laney Cub 12r combo and I like it, but I am really dubious between the following COMBO:
– Laney Cub 12 r
– Fender Blues Junior III
– Fender Pro Junior III
– Fender Superchamp X2.
I play ONLY at home to low volume.
Can you give your opinion to do the right choice?
Thanks in advance for your help.
ciao Sebastiano
[Tonewise, the CUB is somwhere between a Hiwatt and early Marshall, with a fairly bright tone and a nice mid range presence. The Fender amps are perhaps slightly cleaner, with less mid range. Depends on what tones you want. All of these are great for bedroom playing but personally, in terms of recreating Gilmour’s tones and using Muffs etc to get those tones, I’d go for the CUB and its mid range, which will give you a better basis for the pedals. – BJorn]
Ohhh, Bjorn, one last thing, I promise!!
Do you think the AC15C2 would keep up clean for gigs? Im not in the mood to play at Wembley(?) so Im talking about bars, stuff like that… and i guess/hope it always can get mic’ed
Cheers!!
[I guess. Haven’t tried it but it’s quite loud and it should hold up. I recommend mic’ing it anyway and perhaps compensate with a front stage monitor… if needed. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn!! Thank’s for all the advice, your site is very helpfull!
I think you already answer this, but…, the thing is I’m focused on the Lionheart but not shure if the 5w or 20w combo. I’m mostly an “apartment” player, but would like to have enough clear headroom for little club gigs (don’t gig that much, but every now and then). What would be your advice? The difference in money is not significant, but the wattage is quite different…
Please consider I may not be able to get an extension cab for the 5 watter, so the combo should be enough to little club gigs…that’s why considering the 20w.
Thanks in advance!!
[The 5w wouldn’t have enough headroom for stage use. Depends on whether you mic the cab and use front stage monitoring as your main sound source but alone, the amp won’t be enough. The 20w is extremely dynamic and it would work nicely both at home and smaller clubs. – Bjorn]
Thank you Bjorn!! Yeah, it has G12Ms, I’ll go for it!! Cheers!! Thank you for everything man, you rock!!!
[Cheers! – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn!! I’ll try to make my last question for a while haha (sorry, you totally deserve a Nobel Prize, i cant imagine how many people you have helped man)
Anyway… what do you think about an AC15C2 ? Have you played one? It seems like it has some Celestion Speakers on it, and i’ve read its very good, but, how do u think it would work for Gilmour? Also..how do you think it’s gonna work with modulations(actually, an Elec Lady)?
Cheers!! Thank you for all your help!!
[Hi! It’s basically an AC30 but 15w. I think there’s two G12Ms in it, which gives you a nice headroom but also a bit more power. Personally I’m not a huge Vox fan. I think they’re a bit too bright and aggressive but you’ll definitely be able to dial in some nice Gilmour tones with it and it handles all pedals very well :) – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn,
I was wondering witch amp you would choose out of the Laney cub stack, or the fender blues Jr. I cant decide…..
[Two very different amps really. The Cub is typically British, somewhere between a Hiwatt and early Marshall. The Blues Jr is very much Fender. I like both but in terms of David’s tones I guess the Cub is a better match. – BJorn]
Another question. I was looking for a great amp in the 30/40 watts range and then I found the Reeves Custom 50PS. It is way too powerful for what I need but the power scaling feature makes it very interesting and versatile.
If I give all the volume a Muff needs and then I power scale down to the appropriate level I need, would the sound still be nice and maintain its character you think?
[I haven’t tried the 50PS but the thing with power scaling is that it’s really meant to be used when you want the amp to produce distortion but on low volume levels. It doesn’t really do much with the clean channel and you might as well just get one without the PS and just lower volume. My personal experience with Hiwatts and Reeves is that they really need high volume to open up and reach their full potential. They’re basically very flat and neutral sounding amps and they can sound rather thin and dull on low levels. Once you crank it – clean or distorted – and get the tubes to really push the speaker, you’ll get those classic tones. In your case, if you mostly plan on playing at home or in smaller environments, I’d rather go for something smaller. I rarely use my Reeves unless we’re doing a big gig. Just my two cents. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
I’ d like to have your take on the Carvin V3M, to me it is right there in the range on the Laney.
[Haven’t tried one but thanks for the tip :) – Bjorn]
Hi guys/Bjorn, I hesitate between a Fender Blues Junior III and Classic 30. Which one would you pick? I know I can’t go wrong with one or the other but I would like to know your thoughts on this… I already have a Laney Cub which I’m really happy with but it is not loud enough for small venues.
Thanks
[The Classic 30 for sure. The Blues Jr is a great little amp but not loud enough for clubs. The Classic 30 is and it has considerably more headroom as well. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
Do you know is there any difference between amplifier section of Laney CUB12R COMBO and standalone Laney CUB12 HEAD?
Because they cost almost the same and right now I have little space at home, I want to purchase combo right now and sometime later purchase laney cub cabinet and connect it to the EXTENSION CABINET jack. Will it be the same?
[AS far as I know it’s the same amp but check the specifications on their web site :) – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn, A reeeeeeeeally cool amp for every one to check out would be the Visual Sound Workhorse Stallion 212 and Pony 112. These amps are hard to find as they were discontinued, but they are diamonds in the rough. If anyone remembers they were the amps with the ugly hubcap speaker grill. But for all my Gilmour people out there, what does Bjorn tell us constantly??? Clean headroom and use the pedals. Well these amps are clean to 10 man! They were flat out made as a clean pedal platform. I have the 60W 212, which is set up with 2 6L6 power tubes, and 3 12ax7 pre. It basically has that Fender Twin clean all the way up thing, but is flatter and warmer than a twin. The cleans are good, but where it shines is when your pedalboard comes into play. Start stomping and wow! If you ever get a chance to look up specs on these things you will be amazed, designed by pedal god RG Keene. They are very hard to find but can be had at a pretty ridiculous price(as in cheap for what they are). All the best!
[Thanks for the tip! – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
Is there any recorded version of the actual weekend Airbag concerts?
It would be nice to have and listen to..
Question from the Gilmourish amp topic :
Is there any smaller alternative of the Reeves Custom50? Just studying the website of Reeves, I have seen the new Reeves Custom 12. Bigger transformer, better headroom, than the former Custom6..
Do you have opinion?
A professional solution instead of the fantastic but not too reliable Chinese Laney Cub12?
Kind regards:Gabor
[Hi! There are a few YouTube clips out there. Check out our Facebook page for links :) I haven’t tried the Custom12 myself but from what I understand, it should be a great alternative and certainly a better option than the CUB. Nothing wrong with the CUB but I’d never travel with it. Keep in mind though that the Custom 12 is based on the early Marshall JTM, which sound quite different than a Hiwatt. – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn, I recently acquired a early 1970’s Fender PA-100. Supposedly, they’re just a Twin Reverb sans the vibrato and with a slightly different EQ (plus the thing has 4 freaking channels). How well would this work if I were able to keep the volume down (I mostly play in a barn that’s fairly out of town, but there are still people who would complain about this 100-watt monster if I were to crank it anywhere past about 3 or 4)?
[Never tried the amp so I can’t really tell but on a general note, Fenders usually has no problem with low volume. It will still sound pretty good with the volume low and it will handle most of your pedals. The trick is to find the right settings to compensate for the reduced volume. Usually, that means a slightly higher pre-amp volume setting and a bit more mids but plug your guitar straight into the amp and tweak it until you find the sweetspot with the right amount of mid range and compression. Then, add the pedals. Try to adjust them to fit the amp and not the other way around. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn, great site, just wondering about your Reeves amp, did you get it with the fx loop? I am running a G system so I was wondering if I should get the FX loop add on or run the G system into the front. Taks care Jim
[Hi Jim! Mine doesn’t have the loop as I don’t need it. The loop is meant to be used if you want to use the amp for your overdrive and distortion sounds. Once the amp starts to break up, the delays and modulations gets all distorted and muddy and placing them in the loop, bypasses the pre-amp stage. However, if you’re running the amp all clean, then you’re better off placing all the pedals or systems in the front input. The Reeves has a high quality looper but most amps has issues with noise etc, so while the loop bypasses the pre-amp, it actually colours your tone. The Reeves has a lot of headroom and I assume you’ll be running it clean so plug the G System into the front input :) – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
have you ever heard about Roost amps? These are supposed to be UK-made copies of the DR103 in the early to mid 70s. They have the same tube layout and controls incl. master volume, seems like the schematics are close to Hiwatt as well.
All the best
Matt
[Never heard about them… there were several Sound City and Hiwatt clones in the 70s. Some good and some pretty shitty :) Noe idea where there Roost fits in… :) – Bjorn]
Ohh, also Bjorn, emm a Peavey Classic 50 is like 400 usd on ebay, I guess with taxes and all that stuff it may be like 500, maybe less..would it be the best to buy it ?? Thanks again!!
[Great amp and it works nicely for smaller clubs :) – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn,
I have a small amp Tubemeister 5 at home. It has lots of headroom. Before buying I have compared it with Blackstar HT-5 and the cleans were sooo much better on Tubemeister. The dirty channel is nothing inspiring, also not foot-switchable like on Blackstar. But the clean channel is very Fenderish and I think it takes pedals very well. It has nice features also. You should check some videos.
[Thanks for the tip! – Bjorn]
Bjorn, do you think that a Cub 12 head with a good 2×12 is good for gigs? I would love to play a tube amp, but i need it for gigs.. and well the Bugera V55 H is like 700 USD over here… and a Fender Blues Jr III costs like 1000… way too much
Have you gigged with the Cub ? Thanks for taking some of your time to answer our questiones Bjorn, I really apreciate it, and, sorry for stealing your time haha
See ya’!! Thanks for everything
[Hi Tom! Depends on how big the venue is. I don’t think the Cub is loud enough for gigs and I think you’d struggle to maintain the headroom. It would perhaps work in a bar or very small club. If the venue require mic’ing the amp, you could feed it through a front stage monitor, which would allow you to keep a decent volume on the amp and get enough volume on the stage with the monitor. The Bugera is a bigger amp so it might work better but I don’t have that much experience with that one. – Bjorn]
Cheers Bjorn,
Wondered which amp was used in 2000 with the Taylor acoustic stuff?
Do you have an opinion on Roland JC120s?
Love the site.
Tom
[Hi Tom, check out this detailed featured on the 2000 shows :) – Bjorn]
Having read your reply some time ago, I did some research on youtube and I have to agree with you, Bjorn that the lionheart, is really a great amp!
1. If it had a master volume, I would understand it, but there are two channels clean(volume) and drive(gain, volume). The clean channel is designed not to distort, or it stays clean, but up to a point? The drive channel sounds very good, for some Hendrix stuff I play!
2. Delays before amp, not through fx loop. You ‘ve mentioned that you like to set tour amps at the edge of breakup, so that adding boosters, and other drive pedals work better. An amp at the edge of breakup, won’t distort if you add a pedal with just higher than unity volume output? So won’t the delay sound messy through a distorted amp?
P.S. I don’t like too many effects, for now just germanium fuzz and wah, and a catalinbread echorec the next I ‘m buying. I’m kind of obsessed with the sound of Gilmour playing Echoes alone in the the studio, in Live of Pompeii and that’s what I would like to achieve!
Thanks for your time, greetings from Greece!
[The clean channel starts to break up around 2 o’clock… or earlier if you have really hot humbuckers. No problem running high gain pedals in front of it and still maintaining the headroom. The drive channel sounds very much like an early Marshall. Run all your modulations and delays in front of the amp if you’re using the clean channel and use the loop if you use the drive channel. Cheers! – Bjorn]
Hi bjorn
Great suggestions of amps! Could the VOX AC15/30 create the gilmour tones as well as the amps you’ve recommended? Would you recommend them, and how well to they get along with pedals?
Thanks!
[Personally not a huge Vox fan but they’re quite OK for Gilmour’s tones and they handle pedals very well. Check out the Laney Lionheart L20 if you want something similar but with more of that Hiwatt/early Marshall tone. – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn! I need advice in something :/
Bjorn, how strong do you think a Bugera V55 head is? I mean, some people say the construction isnt so good at all, but I dont know…
I need an amp for gigging (not big gigs anyway) but that is afordable, and the Bugera seems to be what I need!! Would you gig with it? Do you think it would resist gig use? Do you know another head that you would recomend but that isnt so expensive?
I would really apreciate your help on this one (well, as always your help is just great)
Thank you!!
[Hi Tom! It’s a budget amp and obviously, the quality isn’t as good as some of the more expensive ones. The construction it self is probably very rugged but you might be experiencing that pots and screws loosen and that somewhere down the road you’ll start having problems with buzz and other signs of worn out parts. You can’t expect it to last as long as a high quality amp. That being said, for the occasional gig and some good care, there’s no reason it won’t provide what you need and for a long time. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn. I got a Laney Cub12R through your recommendation and replaced the speaker to WGS G12C few years back. Been very happy with this amp but it’s time to move on to something better with boutique specification and quality :) Have you tried Ceriatone? I think they have a dealer for Norway. Ceriatone is from Malaysia and its time for me to support my home country product what more a manufacturer of boutique amp of the same quality as Two Rock & etc. Anyway, will be getting the OTS Mini Lunchbox 20w head unit ( a scaled down verison of the Dumble Overdrive ) with a 1×12 ext cab loaded with WGS ET65 speaker.
Though I am a fan of Gilmour’s tone, I also like to explore. Will post back to let you know on the OTS Lunchbox once I get it. Cheers and keep up the good work.
[Ceriatone is great! I’ve played a few of their amps and our rhythm guitarist has a JCM800 ’87 clone. Awesome stuff and very customer friendly too. Keep us posted on the amp! – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
on a bedroom/home setup, what do you think would work better for a good/generic clean tube tone (Gilmourish included of course):
1. The new Fender Deluxe Reverb Custom 68
2. Laney Lionheart 5W combo -> I guess with 5W this should only be useable at bedroom/studio right?
3. Laney Lionheart 20W combo
Thanks,
Luis.
[The Lionheart is a very different amp next to a Fender. Both are great but I must say that I prefer the Laney and of the ones you’ve listed, the 5w. – Bjorn]
OMG! It’s so hard for me to find THE amp for Gilmour tones HAHAHA! I’m still looking for it but I’m almost there, and I’m counting on you: LANEY LC15 or LANEY CUB12? Cheers, my friend!
[Between the two? The Cub :) – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn!
What are your thoughts on a Fender Deluxe Reverb, either the 65 Blackface Reissue or the 68 Custom? I know I like the tones, but what do you think about using one for also getting some Gilmourish tones as well?
[It’s a fairly bright amp and it’s loud :) Works nicely with most pedals but you might have a bit of a struggle with the brighter sounding pedals like silicon fuzz, ram’s head Muffs and boosters. – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn,
I have a question regarding amps and pedal relations. I have a Blues Jr. right now but am looking for something a little different that works well with all my pedals. The pedals I have are: Vibe Machine> Sunface BC183> BA Tri Ram> Mojo Hand Rook> Buffalo FX Power Booster> Deluxe EM> DD20. The Blues Jr. handles most of the pedals well except for the power booster. I think the Jr might be too bright. Is there an amp for bedroom/smaller venues that will handle all these pedals well? The Laney 20w, Reeves 12 and Classic 30 seem to be getting a lot of love here. Any suggestions? I do have access to a used laney lh50 but it’s an older model I think because it’s all black.
[All of the three you mention goes very well with the Powerbooster and David’s tones in general. Tone always depends on the combination of the guitar, pedals and amp and how you combine and set the up. Fenders might be a bit too bright for the PB but try adding a bit more mids and see how that works. Personally I don’t think you can go wrong with the Lionheart amps. They’re similar to the AC30 but much more versatile and more pedal friendly. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
I am visiting Oslo next weekend, I know you are from Oslo, so I was wondering if there is any shop in Oslo where I can test Laney Cub series (preferably the head and the cab)? I live in Latvia and I could not find them in any store in here :(
Thanks.
[Not sure if anyone carries these at the moment but check out 4Sound at Schous Plass and Riff in Prinsensgate. They have lots of different amp and might be carrying the Laneys. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
I saw your response on FB after posting here. Totally agree with you ! I was hooked at first glance, but it is obvious that the D, P and J are marketing things. This small heads sure do not sound like an old DR103 from the seventies. And the WEM cab is just cosmetics.
However, the power switchable from 20 to 0,5 W and the linked input to blend the tones of the 2 channels (on the “Little D”) still are interesting characteristics for a bedroom setup.
They call this things “custom” but they don’t mention a “point-to-point” or “handmade” circuitry anywhere : will prices be closer to the T20 head than the Custom 20 ? Let’s see…
[I don’t doubt that the amp is great for bedrooms, practice and studio. My problem is that the marketing is fooling the customers and fans. If the amp sounds great to your ears and you’re aware of what you’re buying then I see no harm in that. – Bjorn]
Bjorn,
A follow up question about the Hiwatt T20 combo: would you say it has as much clean headroom as a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue? The deluxe is a pretty loud 22 watts and I know that many are able to gig with it no problem. Would you say the same for the T20?
Thanks,
Brad
[Difficult to say without a proper A/B test. It’s loud enough for gigging, no doubt and I think it will provide the needed headroom as well. Again, it depends on your rig and how you’ll be using the amp. A Hiwatt will break up if you drive it hard and the Tube Series, Maxwatt etc doesn’t have as much headroom as the old Customs. – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn!!
I must tell you: I’m very happy with my Eleclady, thank you very much, is a great pedal
Well Bjorn, I would like to buy an amp for gigs, and the Bugera V55 draws my attention
How versatile is it? Could I get with the Bugera, some cleans like those on Shine on You crazy Diamond? (I know your opinion is subjective but your opinions are great haha)
Thank you Bjorn for the hard work you do in this website, you’re a great person
See ya’
[Hi Tom! Depending on how loud you need to play and how hot your pickups are you should be able to get the headroom you need from the Bugera. Always hard to tell how it will sound on different rigs but it’s a nice amp with a classic tone. – Bjorn]
Bjorn,
In prior comments you talked about using the 1w input of the Laney Cub Head and discussed compensating for some of the loss of mid range and lower end you get, when using low volume.
I believe a “transparent booster†was what you described it as.
I was curious if you have used the Strymon OB.1 optical compressor and clean boost… and if it would be a viable option (two in 1 pedal).
Thank you for your time and keeping up such a great reference site.
[I haven’t tried the Strymon so I can’t really tell about that one. In general, a transparent booster will be able to give your amp a bit more character and bite and compensate for some of the compression and mids that you lose from not being able to drive the tubes and speakers. Placing the booster in the amp’s effects loop can also give the output stage of the amp a fatter character. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
Some big news from Hiwatt ! They launch 3 “small packages” which looks really nice for bedroom setup (and more) with 20W tube power switchable to 0,5W : the little P rig, the little J rig and the little D rig… I am sure you already know who the P, J and D stand for :-)
All details here : http://www.hiwatt.com/index.php/products/little-rigs
Needless to say, I would love to see a review !
Greetings from Paris
Herve
[Hi! I have commented on this on my Facebook page:
Hiwatt are marketing the amp as a Gilmour signature. It’s a mini Custom but no doubt aimed at the Gilmour fan, especially considering the featured WEM cab.
Now, whether or not the new Hiwatts are as good as the old ones is a whole different debate but the Little D amp it self is a nice tube head, I’m sure, that will sound great in any bedroom or studio you place it in. The WEM cab? I’m sure it sounds great too, given the specs I’ve seen. However, the amp is not licensed by David and the WEM cab is a forgery. It’s got nothing to do with the old WEM cabs designed and made by Watkins. The Starfinder cabs David, and many others, used and still are using, has a unique structure and features and this copy will never be anything else than just another cab with a logo slapped onto it.
The new pedals are probably quite good. I haven’t heard them but I’m sure they sound great. However, Hiwatt is marketing the Power Boost and the Dynamic Compressor as if it was Hiwatt who made the originals and they even mention David’s name, as if he used Hiwatt boosters and compressors. The originals were made by Colorsound and MXR, which was what David used as well.
So why do I care? Well, I’m sure David can speak for and defend himself. The lawyers are probably on their way already. My problem is that guitarists and fans are fooled into believing that Hiwatt are making signature models and replicas, while it’s just a very cheap ass marketing trick. Again, I’m not talking about the actual products but the way they are marketed.
– Bjorn]
Hi Brin, Just a quick question,
Which would would be better for emulating Gilmours tones obviously a Hiwatt dr103 would be ideal but I have a choice between a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and a Sound City 30c which would you choose?
[The Fender. The new Sound City reissues has nothing to do with the old ones. – Bjorn]
I just wanted to reply to the comment about the Ampeg GVT
– I’ve got one myself (the 15W combo) and love it. No quality problems, everything’s perfectly fine and works as intended. I bought it for 330€ new, I think, so it’s a pretty good price in my opinion.
It has loads of headroom, you can barely get some overdriven tones with a single-coil guitar. And since it is only a one-channel only amp, you have to use stompboxes to get some overdrive. But it handles pedals very well and you can get some lovely sounds out of it. It also features an FX loop, which is quite nice. The clean tone is very good sounding and the amp has that special Baxandall EQ system. Also, you can scale the wattage down to 7,5 watts. It’s a little heavy though, I think it weighs 20kg.
So if you have a chance to try one out yourself, just go ahead and hopefully you’ll be positively susprised ;)
[Thanks for the info! – Bjorn]
hi!
there is a new hiwatt out in the stores which will be very interesting: a hiwatt little d. it is a hiwatt based on gilmours amp modified by cornish.
http://www.denmarkstreetonline.co.uk/product-details/Hiwatt-Little-D-Rig
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgQd8m1AhG0
and there is also a new pedal out there – the hiwatt custom shop power boost, based on a well known pedal gilmour used in the earlier days.
http://www.denmarkstreetonline.co.uk/product-details/Hiwatt-Custom-Shop-Power-Boost
[Sadly, these are just ordinary items and they use David’s name for cheap marketing. Neither the amp nor the pedal has anything to do with David. – Bjorn]
Thanks for the tip, Bjorn. There’s also an alternative with the Hiwatt Custom 7. The Laney Lionheart is a combo, so I won’t go for it but I love its “old thing” look :-)
I’ll try to find shops where I could play them and… let’s see what will happen !
Greetings from Paris
[Good luck :) – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn!
I wonder how the new Hiwatt Signature Series Little D will compare soundwise to the T20 or the Lionheart for all things Gilmour, specially with the scaled down 1×12 fane loaded WEM cabinet. Thanks.
Greetings from Costa Rica!
[From what I understand, the Little D is based on the Custom series. The Tube Series are the budget version. The Lionheart is a different amp altogether, closer to a AC30. – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn!
I’m on an amp hunt and found one but I wanted your opinion first. It is a Laney LH50 head with a GS212 2×12 1/4 stack. It’s very close to my house so I might play it later, but if it’s not a good gilmourish amp then I don’t really want to bother with it.
Here is the link:
http://www.guitarcenter.com/In-Store-Used-USED-LANEY-LH50-GTR-HEAD-W-GS212IE-2X12-CAB-1-4-STACK-109769294-i3574664.gc
Sorry, I don’t know how to make a proper link.
[Sorry for the late reply, Ben. The L50 is a great amp and an awesome companion for pedals. Highly recommended! – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
Thanks, as always, for the great site and responses. Wonder if you could talk just a little more about the Hiwatt t20? Here in the US I can get the t20 combo (100w fane speaker) from a UK ebay seller. Would cost me about $750 including international shipping. In your opinion, would I be getting much closer to that classic hiwatt tone with this amp, compared to other comparable amps in the price range?
Many thanks!
Brad
[Hi Brad! It is a Hiwatt and the idea, I guess, is to offer an affordable version of the Custom series. It’s the classic transparent and clean Hiwatt tone with lots of headroom and just that hint of mid range. Considering the price, I think you’ll get a lot of tone for the buck. Depends on what you’re looking for but for practice and perhaps a small club, I’d say that it’s a great choice. – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn! Nice article! Everyday I check your site, since I began listening to pink floyd and I have to say, that your work is really great and inspiring, it helps me a lot to understand some basic things and experiment!
I ‘ve got a VOX AC15c1, which is a great amp, especially for BEATLES, STONES, GALLAGHER etc, but not the most versatile, and I ‘m thinking of selling it and acquiring another amp, and some pedals. Having watched your vids I was impressed by Laney Cub12 stack! Compared with, Lionheart 20 stack which one would you suggest? I want it for room playing and small clubs. Unfortounately, in Greece there aren’t many shops where to play and listen an amp, and usually we buy from the net.
Greetings from Athens and hope you come and play here sometime too!
DIMITRIS
[Hi Dimitris! Thanks a lot for your kind words! Glad you enjoy the site :) The Lionheart is no doubt a much better amp than the Cub. The Cub is a nice bedroom and practice amp but I don’t think it’s reliable enough for shows. Besides, the Lionheart sounds a lot better… it’s just a different class and quality. The L20 is loud but quite capable of some very nice tones on low volume as well. There’s also a combo version that you might want to check out. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn and hello to you all,
I am considering changing my Blackstar HT5 head for something more British, more Vintage, in a word, more… Gilmourish ! Of course the Laney would do the job but it would be too simple :-)
I am more attracted by the small Hiwatt tube serie. The Hiwatt T20 head would be my first choice, but I am afraid that the T20 would be too loud for a bedroom set ? If so, the T10 would be nice too. Any experience and feedback would be welcome !
Greetings from Paris,
[Hi! The T20 is a great amp with classic Hiwatt tones. It has a power scaling down to 10w, which is still quite loud but you should have no problem handling that in a bedroom. The amp stays well balanced even on low volume levels. The T10 is an option but you” have less controls for EQ etc so I would recommend the T20. Also, check out the Laney Lionheart L5 combo. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn!
I have bought a Laney Lionheart L20 head and 2×12. How do you set yours up??
Thanks again for all your time and effort in making such an invaluable resource for us guitarists.
[Hi Mike! I have different settings for whenever I’m on stage, rehearsals or recording. Usually it’s something like this: Hi input, bright off, bass 4, middle 6, treble 5, reverb off, tone 3. When I’m recording I often turn the tone all the way down/off and I use the low input for more headroom. – Bjorn]
Well, I have decided to get the Laney Cub 12 stack. Bjorn, how are the tubes and speakers out of the box? Was thinking if the amp would sound better with JJ tubes and Reeves VP speakers? Thanks, This site is amazing. Hope you are having a fantastic new year.
[Thank you Mike! The stock setup is OK but replacing the tubes and speakers will make it a much better amp. It’s a bit too bright and boxy with the stock setup. Your suggestion should make a fine setup! – Bjorn]
@Laura I own 2 Laney Lionheart L20 combo amps and I use them in my garage and they work perfectly for me, you see the lionheart is a class A tube amp so its actually slightly quieter than most conventional 20W tube amps that are class A/B and you can dial in tones that are neighbour friendly. I agree though that the bigger the room the better as Bjorn said as it can get very loud when you do give the amp a bit of juice but it is very controllable.
On an unrelated topic, I have sort of run out of money trying to pick up modulation pedals and most of them were out of stock when I made my last pedal purchase so I’ve made due for now with a Blackstar modulation pedal which while digital is actually tube driven. The flanger in particular is not too bad at all to my delight! This will eventually be passed to my brother as I upgrade to individual analog modulation effects, but I wanted to know whether you have ever had the chance to give the blackstar modulation pedal a try and what your thoughts were Bjorn?
[Only tried the Blackstar very briefly. Most of the tones are based on the MXR pedals. The phaser and flanger sounds great. Not too impressed by the rotary. – Bjorn]
After reading further on the previous posts I got some more ideas on an amp. Any input is appreciated….so many amps , so little time and money ! lol
Thanks!
Hi Bjorn,
I have been searching for an amp to use in home for personal use. I already have a Hot Rod deluxe. Problem is its just too loud and cant dial in a good tube tone on low volumes. I have pedals: Muskett, Wampler Soverign, etc… I have been to many a stores and looking for the right amp. I have not tried any Laney’s cause here in Michigan no one carries them but the you tube reviews look good. I love the gilmour tone also into SRV, ZZ Top, Hendrix and many others..lol… any way if you could direct me to your opinion if you had 600-700 to spend what would you get that is versiatile? I see you dont have marshalls listed on here. What you think?
If any other Gilmourish fans can throw me some advice too ….I appreciate your site bud very classy and thourough!!
Thanks in advance !!
Eric
[Hi Eric! Most of the models here should be suitable for your situation. The Cubs are great for bedrooms and practice. Very versatile for all types of guitars and pedals. I haven’t listed any Marshalls because they’re not that suited for Gilmour. Most of the recent combo models are voiced for modern tones with a rather flat clean channel and harsh drive channel that’s more suited for Metallica than anything else. It’s worth checking out the SL5 combo for some classic tones and the 50th anniversary heads as well. – Bjorn]
Bjorn, thanks for the great site! Can you (or any other Laney L20H owners) comment on how usable it is as a solo practice amp? I have an opportunity to pick up a used one really cheap. But I’m a near-beginner, and band rehearsals or gigs won’t be a concern for quite a while, if ever. I have my own house, so I don’t need it super quiet for practice, but I need levels that won’t hurt my ears or terrify my cats. Will the L20H sound decent at those levels where the power stage isn’t driven very hard? Or an I better off with a Cub (at about the same price), plus a bigger amp if I ever join a band?
Thanks again for the site! I know it’s a lot of work.
[Depends on how big the room is I guess. The L20H works great for practice and maintains its tone even at very low levels but you might find it too loud for a small bedroom. The Cubs are great too but the L20H is no doubt a much better amp and one that, if you get to play with a band, will perform very well on rehearsals and clubs too. – Bjorn]
I ONLY like to play Pink Floyd and Gilmour songs. All my pedalboard is arranged for that. Here’s my basic: Fender Classic Series 50 (EMG) > Polytune > MXR DynaComp clone > MXR Phase 90 > RAT or DG-2 B.K. Butler Tube Driver or Fulltone OCD > Boss GE-7 > Boss CE-2 > Mooer Eleclady > Nova Delay > amp (Brazilian brand, 25 W, all tube, too loud!). As I explained it before: I have to play the guitar at very low volume in order to not bother all my neighbours and family. On this 25 W amp I have to use volume at 1 or 2!! That’s why I’m desperate to get a lower power amp. I think I’ll have the Blackstar HT-5C. I found one on the internet. It’s quite hard to find some amps here. Big cities like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are very far from where I live, so I have to buy stuff on line without testing it… Cheers! Big fan of your site. Very usefull to me! All the pedals I have I bought after reading your review and comments.
[Thank you! Good luck with your amp purchase :) – Bjorn]
Last time I bother you with it: VOX AC4TV or Marshall Class 5??
[Hmmm… they’re two very differnet sounding amps. Personally I like the Marshall :) – Bjorn]
Your opinion is very important, as always, Bjorn. I’ll be looking for a Cub 12 here. I always keep 8 or 10 pedals on the pedalboard. I know that’s too much. You have a Cub 12, right? Do you use the effect loop on this amp? I’m new on this area. I don’t know how to use it… can you explain it a little better, please? Thanks.
[What’s too much or too many pedals depends on whether you use them all or not. 8 or 10 is about average I guess but if you’re mostly playing classic blues, I would think you’d only need a tuner :) I’m using between 10-15 myself to be able to cover all of the tones I need. What’s important is that ensure the best possble signal and tone. Be sure to use proper powering for the pedals, good quality cables and patch cables and include at least one buffer to drive the signal. I never use the loop channel but for my tones I don’t need to. Check out this feature for a short explaination. – Bjorn]
Thanks for sharing, Bjorn. The reason I quote the ZT is because some people say it goes bad with some pedal effects and you always mention that Big Muffs don’t go well with transitor amps…
I was thinking about getting the smaller one, the ZT Jr. 35 W but I’m not sure. I’m looking for small tube amps but I’m not sure either. These are the options I have now:
Peavey Valveking Royal 8
Laney Cub 8,
Vox AC4TV 10″
Epiphone Valve Jr. (head with 1×10″ cabinet)
Or maybe a Fender frontman 25R (transistor)?!
But all of them is from websites so I can test them… what would be your choice for a better Gilmour action?
[I don’t have that much experience with the Lunchbox so I can’t go into detail with how it works with each pedal. Muffs and fuzz can be a bit hard to dial in so in some cases you’re often better off with something a bit more versatile like a RAT or similar. The amps you’ve listed have a considerably more tamed tone than the Lunchbox but it always depends on how you’ll be using the amp. If you’re set on using a few pedals then I recommend looking at something slightly bigger than what you’ve listed here – if your budget allows it. You don’t need more power for a bedroom but a slightly bigger amp, like the Cub 12, would give you an overall better basis for your pedals and it would be easier to set up the tones you want. – Bjorn]
Hi, Bjorn. Can I get any miracle with the ZT Lunchbox 200 W?
[I don’t have much experience with these but they have a nice clean tone and they’re insanely loud. 200w will make your stomach turn… – Bjorn]
Tone to match the volume?
High or low input is best?
[The louder you play the more transients, high tones, the amp will create so with high volume you might want to roll the tone down as opposed to setting it higher on low volume. Try to find a sweetspot for your guitar and pedals. Use the high input for passive pickups and low for bass and active pickups. – Bjorn]
Any thoughts on settings for the smaller Laney Cub 10? Tone, gain knobs? Should I be using the low or high inputs?
Love the site, bought the amp based on your love for the 12, but couldn’t find the 12 nearby.
Thanks Bjorn!
[Hi! Try setting the volume as loud as possible and the gain at 1 or 2 or as high as you can without it breaking up. The tone should be set to match the volume of the amp, your guitar and pedals. – Bjorn]
HI B,
YOUR SITE IS AMAZING,
Y WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU WHAT AMP DO YOU THINK IS THE BEST TO EMULATE THE GILMOUR SOUND TO USE IT TO RECORD IN A STUDIO?
THANKS FOR ALL.
[Thank you, Sebastian! Any of the ones listed here goes great in a studio setup. Smaller amps are easier to tame and record properly. You could also set it up a notch with a Fender Bassman, Deluxe and similar. – Bjorn]
Hi, Bjorn. Have you ever heard or tested the Leech Passive Volume Attenuator pedal? There is only one video about it on youtube… it can clean your amp crunch but I wonder if it can clean also the pedal effects such as distortion or overdrives. I’m still looking for a solution of my problem: playing nice without being too loud! My Brazilian 30 W tube amp has master and volume control. I use master very high but in most cases I use the volume control on 1 or 2 (!!). It’s not even near amp saturation. Maybe a power attenuator would be more interesting, I don’t know… help?!
[I haven’t seen this one before. Thanks for the tip! An attenuator will only work properly if you intend to use the amp’s gain. That way you can get that tube saturation without having to crank the amp. On cleans it doesn’t do much. One solution would be to use a clean booster to beef up your cleans. That would allow lower master settings while still getting a fat and warm tone. A good compressor would also help. – Bjorn]
hi Bjorn,
So you have tried the Fender Super-Champ X2 ?
The reviews are very positives about this amp. I like to play Floyd of course…
but I also like to play Blues. Also with the Fuse software you can do your own presets.
I have a Line 6 Pod, so I am familiar working with software to do make setups.(POD Farm)
I go to the section David’s gear and I do my setup exactly like they are in David’s gear.
Yes I have to adjust some of the elements. I have to say that my tones are very Gilmourish.
Channel one is full tube, good for the Blues and good for pedals, channel 2 voices.
I am on a low budget but, I can afford the combo X2. Maybe play with the voices at first.
Then save money to buy nice pedals, what to do you think ? Check out this video…
The guy plays Gilmour solos with the Super Champ XD (voices), now it’s X2. Very good tones…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGeWr6dHvFk
[It’s a very nice practice and bedroom amp with classic Fender tones, somewhere between a Twin and Deluxe I think. Cheers! – Bjorn]
Has anyone tried/used a Blonde Bassman head to get Gilmour tones. Apparently they are a slightly different circuit from the silverface and blackface Bassman’s, but I was wondering if they still had enough of the Fender mid scooped tone to perform well with fuzz pedals and OD’s the way the blackface amps do?
[Never tried one… Anyone? – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn,
Congratulations on your awesome new album!
I was wondering if you think a Laney Lionheart 20W head would go well with a Reeves 2×12 cab w/Vintage Purple speakers? I thought they might have a good balance between a dark and bright tone.
[Thanks! Actually, I think the Lionheart sounds best with some dark sounding Celestions. The Vintage Purple and similar Fane clones are very bright and has a typically mids scooped tone, which I personally don’t think fit the Lionheart that well, being somewhat of a Vox AC30/Bassman/JTM45 kind of amp… – Bjorn]
Hi,
I am delighted to have found this wonderful site. At 59, I am new to learning to play the guitar and I am sure you can guess that I love the Gilmour/Pink Floyd sound. One big plus of 59 is that I am old enough to have had the wonderful opportunity of their concerts I saw. Detroit early 70ies.
My dilemma in putting gear together that will allow me to achieve the Gilmourish sounds and other I like. Also, I have 25 acres so don’t have worry about disturbing the neighbors.
I have come across a Marshall JMD 102 2×12 tube combo amp that is right in my budget and perhaps more importantly, how it works makes sense to me. I am used to stacking bales of hay and it doesn’t need to be the only one I ever get.
I would love opinions and input from you out there in the Gilmourish Universe. And, no matter what, I will have fun not matter what I choose.
Best wishes and warm regards from Spring Green, Wisconsin!
Jacqueline
[Hi Jacqueline! Thanks for your kind words! I recommend that you check out some of the features I’ve written first and if you have any questions after that, I’ll do my best to help. Check out this one for some general tips on tone, this one for setting up a pedal board and this one for some amp setup tips. Last, check out this one for some tips on how to setup a rig that’ll cover Floyd and other styles. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjørn!
You’re starting to cost me a lot of money :D
Just got my CUB12R and It’s all sorts of good! I got the combo, though. More usable for home use, and I can put a cab on it if need be. I also took your advice on the CS69+SSL5 pickups and they really made my partscaster stratty as can be. A very versatile setup, and not just for gilmourish tones. I put a Super Vee bladerunner bridge in it, though. Have you tried one of these? Great drop in replacement for a vintage type strat bridge I find. Anyway – keep up the good work! Your reviews are always a treat – you really go to the depths of it and back it up with solid sound and video.
Snakkæs, from Bergen
[Sorry, Arne! Don’t shoot the messenger :) Glad you enjoy my site! – Hilsen Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn!
Thanks for your reply!
I must say that this community is great! No bad rap as in other places. Everybody is helping everybody.
Back to business:
Is unmodded BD-2 ok with 5210 or is Keeley better?
Probably i’m going for SSL5/CS69 with my 80 ish >Tokai (ever played one?)
Thanks so much!
zeppo
[Glad you enjoy being here, Zeppo :) The stock BD2 is quite OK but the Keeley is considerably smoother and warmer sounding. Check out the Mooer Blues Mood as well, which is closer to the Keeley than the stock. The 80s Tokais are great instruments. Very well made. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn!
I’m having a hard time getting a tone that I would like with my Tokai ES-60 guitar combined with Classic 30. It can probably be the stock PAF pups that are the problem, but before I rush to change the pups (I’m thinking of getting Phat Cats for neck and bridge position), I would like to get some idea for setting the EQs with the Classic 30 to get a good, warm and clear clean sound. Do you something that you would recommend? Thank you!! :)
[There shouldn’t be a problem getting warm cleans with humbuckers and the C30 but it might not be spot on David’s tones, given that you have buckers. The PAFs are as close as you’ll get or you’ll have to change to P90s. The C30 can sound rather punchy and trebly so try setting all the controls around noon with the treble slightly rolled off and you might also want to roll the guitar volume control down to 9 or 8 to smooth out the top. – Bjorn]
Bjorn hello, thank you very much for the excellent site, has been truly useful.
On this topic, I have not read your opinion about amps Hughes Kettner for guilmour tones, mainly TubeMeister 36 or 18 Head, once fit the criteria amps under $ 1000.
[It has a lot of headroom so you should be fine with most of your pedals :) – Bjorn]
Bjorn, how do you deal with loud music and neighbours? In Spain, a pianist might be send to jail for disturbing a woman who was her ex-neighbour! She was accused of playing through 8 hours a day very loud! Oh, my!
[I do most of my work in our studio but my neighbours are very patient and forgiving as well :) – Bjorn]
hey Bjorn!
So i have a question, i own 3 amps currently an Ampeg v4 a 1975 Twin Reverb and a Music Man HD 130 i was wondering which one of these you would suggest for a more gilmour tone thanks!
[Oh… I’ve never tried the Ampeg and MM so I can’t really tell. The Twin is a great Gilmour amp though. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn!
I’m a newbie electric guitar player, although i’ve played piano for some time. I’ve been reading your site for a week now and learned sooo much! Great site!
I was reading this wonderful amp guide and found out that you think Marshall 5210 SS is Gilmourish. Thats good because i inherited one from my father, i think it´s from -82-84, along with vintage Tokai strat.
Would you have any recommendations for pedals to use with the 5210? I’like Pulse sounds but also undestand that much of that sound comes from David’s fingers (and heart), but any suggestions are much appreciated.
Also i can’t make up my mind about SSL5/CS69 or EMG route…
Zeppo
[Thanks for your kind words, Zeppo! The 5210 is a versatile amp than can handle most of the typical Gilmourish pedals. Which pedals you want depends on what tones you want but there are two ways to go – the versatile setup with a RAT and an overdrive like the BD2 or OCD… or both. Or, you could go for something a bit more specific like a Big Muff, like the Musket or Box of War and an overdrive – the BD2 and OCD will do here as well. The latter option is more PULSE but perhaps not as versatile for other tones and genres. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn
Just to add to the topic of amps, I managed to pick up a Laney Lionheart LT20-410 at a fantastic price and have been blown away by the tones! I know its highly reommended to go for stacks over combos but this is a 20 watt combo with 4 10 inch jensen speakers and man this thing rocks! The tone is warm and full! It has 2 channels, clean and overdrive, it has a bright switch and eq and tone controls that control both channels. The overdrive and reverb are footswitchable and it just stays remarkably focused at all volumes. It is massive and weighs as much as a church but you just want to keep playing it. I’m even considering selling my Blues Junior (with canabis rex) just so I can grab another one while they are still available at such an awesome price and get a crazy 8 speaker stereo setup going! I have the lionheart, laney cub and the blues junior, but I just really want to keep playing the lionheart all the time. The overdrive goes from a subtle crunch to sweet classic rock (thinkZZ top/ ACDC riffage) to higher gain stuff – definitely more than enough to cover the Gilmourish range of OD tones. With hi gain and lo gain inputs staying on the clean channel you have nice head room. The reverb is also real spring reverb and is extremely usable.
I must say I am very happy with it, and have to thank you because without your review/mentioning of its Gilmourishness I might not have been keeping an eye out for it.
Peace.
[Thanks for sharing, Gareth! – Bjorn]
Bjorn
It appears my attempt at trying to be funny failed! Not to worry all’s good.
Brian
[No worries, Brian! Cheers! – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn, just curious if you ever got to play through a 1995 JCM Slash. Marshall only made 3000 of them, but I was lucky enough to get a new one when they first came out. If I hadn’t been a stupid druggie at the time, I’d still have it, and it would be an inredibly great Gilmourish amp. It was a hand wired reissue of the Jubilee,( often sited as Matshalls finest amp.), but had a 50/100watt switch, on the rear,and two channels. The clean channel was absolutely dead clean, almost the sound of my Reeves, and the normal Marshallish channel was the best cranked Marshall sound I’ve ever heard. I just don’t understand why they would make what I can say with absolute certainty, was the perfect amp, then go right back to making the crap they started putting out in the ’80s when they started the JCM line. Prior to the Slash, Marshall hadn’t made a great head since the Jubilee, the Master volumes, and the plexis. Oh how disappointed I was when I thought they were reissuing the JCM Slash, only to find yet another gimicky boutique amp, with the name only, of Marshall’s greatest amp ever. Anyone who was lucky enough to get one new, understands, anyone who nevet played one, missed the best amp I’ve ever heard, and anyone who can find one in great shape, and can afford it, JUMP ON IT. It’ll do everything from Gilmour, to EVH, and everything in between, and I never had a single problem, or night where it “just doesn’t sound right!”.I’ve had my Reeves Custom 50 ps for 11 months, and it is sitting on the repair bench in Kentucky, and I’ve only played through it for 12-15 hours. Not saying they aren’t the best thing going, but every company builds a few lemons, and I’m praying I didn’t get one. Bill has a great rep, hope he figures out why miness blowing tubess at bedroom levels!
REEVESLESS IN RICHMOND, KEITH
[Thanks for the tip, Keith! Never tried the Slash but I can imagine that it would make a nice Gilmourish amp. I have, however, tried the new Slash SL5 and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. 5w with 1w scaling and a classic JCM800 tone. Nice for practice and fooling around at home :) – Bjorn]
Posted? Didn’t you hear it?
After a bit of reading up I plugged my PodXt Live into the H&H’s Power Amp Input round the back which by-passes the preamp section. PodXt is now the preamp. Blue comp in front to catch any input clipping and some tweakage for clean and dirty settings. Strangely that’s where I spent most time and that’s where the “jewels” are. All I can say is – “don’t tell your guitarist who uses the Live Pod” :-)
Best of Luck with Gigs and Stuff
Brian
[Yes, I’ve played one for years but you said you wanted to experiment, so I thought you might want to keep us posted on that process. Never mind… Great amp and one that should have gained more recognition I think! – Bjorn]
I’ll chime in.
I have a Fender 75 amp. ( 1981 )
It is powerful and clean, and I have an original 1983 celestion G1265 in it.
I expected the celestion to blow up, but 30 years down the road here, it hasn’t.
It took a while to break in but it is a really nice speaker. If the Heritage re-issues are as good as this one they are well worth it. ( remember in ’83 it was only like $60 )
I took the EVM-12L that came in the 75 and put it in a small closed cabinet. Very handy.
Here is just an FYI for those in the USA looking for a “gilmourish” amp:
Marshall 5210 for sale for under $200 —
http://quadcities.craigslist.org/msg/4126109605.html
hi Bjorn,
I’ve passed quite a long time on your fabulous site, reading many and many article……
Following your advice, I’ve made my rig : mxr dynacomp , boss cs2, boss sd1, mooer triangle buff, mooer reecho, mooer eleclady, mooer ensemble king
All this material works with a a Mustang III transistor amp and as guitar , a black strat gilmour signature , I broke my money box, and I indulged myself :-)
But as now, I’m very disapointed because my sound is very far to Gilmour tone :-((
I think that, my amp is the weak link….
So, I’ve decided to buy a new amp
I play at home, but also with a band and we want to do a Pink Floyd Tribute.
The objective is to play in small cafe, small club or some live manifestation
I don’t manage to decide, i hesitade between the Peavey classic 30 and the Fender Blues Junior III
what would be your choice ? what do you think of my material ( guitar, pedal effects…)
Many thanks in advance for your help
[Hi Alfredo! I’m not that familiar with the Mustangs but from what I can gather based on the reviews it has a fairly bright tone, classic Fender-ish. Still,with all of the amp sims featured you should be able to dial in some decent Gilmour stones with it I think. When using pedals, the best approach would be to bypass everything and just set the amp up all clean. If that’s not possible, then try to select a Gilmourish-ish amp, like a Bassman or 65 Deluxe or something and try some of the settings suggested in this feature. Between the two amps you’e mentioned I think the Classic 30 is best for stage use. The Blues Jr is a bit too small and suits studio and rehearsal/practice better. I also recommend checking out the Laney Cub series and, if your pocketbook allows it, the Lionhearts. – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn
The H&H IC100 arrived this week. Excellent condition for it’s age. ‘Silver’ still on the pot knobs. Flourescent lights working. All switches and pots working, one or two might need some attention, a bit dirty.
Been experimenting with the different channels and various setups using Stomps and Pods but kinda interesting when I “jumpered” the ‘drive’ and ‘clean’ channels with a Mistress in the path. I will be trying out others too. Got an extra hour this weekend woohoo.
Brian
[Congrats! Keep us posted :) – Bjorn]
Bjorn,
I have been reading everything on your site and watching your videos. I play a Marshall JMP 2203 Master Lead (100 watt w/ 6550s) through a 1967 bandmaster 212 w/ Utah speakers. I love the sound but i’d love to get that sound at a much lower volume. I no longer gig and all my stuff is in our studio which isn’t as soundproof as we’d like it to be. I’m recording stuff constantly and I just want a painless volume level for the neighbors and wives sake. I can turn the master volume down but I lose the breakup in the speakers and it just doesn’t seem as rich or powerful with natural harmonics. Perhaps I’m looking for something that doesn’t exist but I’d love to find a quality 5w amp that has nice Marshall type tones. Any thoughts? Love your site and your contributions to all of us hobbyists as well as poor and struggling musicians. Guys like you really do help to get us on the right track.
Thanks so much
Anthony
[Hi Anthony! Sorry for my late reply. Have you considered a power attenuator? It allows you to drive the amp without the volume. You can buy a device like the THD Hot Plate or an amp with power scaling. If you want a new amp you might want to check out the Laney Lionheart L5. It’s capable of some very nice vintage Marshall tones. A clean transparent amp will also allow you to use pedals for specific purposes, like the Wampler PlexiDrive for those JTM45 overdrive tones. You should also check out the Marshall Class 5 and the new Slash combo. The latter has a classic JCM800 tone and a 1w power scaling. – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn,
I have a fender excelsior amp. As you know there is only a volume knob and a bright/dark switch. For me the bright is too bright and the dark is too dark. I was wondering if I used a preamp(like the effectrode blackbird), if this would have the same effect as the eq that most other amps have built in? If so would i put it last in the chain? is there a way to disconnect the stock preamp and just use the blackbird? or would that even be nessecary to get the pedal to work how i want?
[I’m not familiar with the Excelsior but I think the Blackbird would behave much like any other overdrive pedal really. You’d still get the character of the amp but you’ll be able to colour it and perhaps even boost it to some degree with the Blackbird. I’d send Phil and e-mail and ask for user tips. He’s very helpful. – Bjorn]
Hey. I own a Peavey Classic 30, recently re-tubed it. I was thinking of upgrading it with a new speaker. I was thinking the Celestion Heritage, but wanted to know what you would recommend. Thanks
[I’m not that experienced with Celestion although I think the Heritage sound great. Anyone care to comment? – Bjorn]
Maybe you already saw it… here it goes anyway.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HIWATT-100-WATT-DR103-AMP-OWNED-PINK-FLOYD-MODS-SERVICED-PETE-CORNISH-/151140083450?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2330a6a6fa
Interesting mods, wish I could understand electronics to observe those pics “closer” and see what other mods could be in there.
PS: There’re some other Pink Floyd’s equitment for sell from those guys.
[Simply insane… – Bjorn]
Hi from France to everybody ! This site is wonderful and I would like to congratulate Bjorn for his patience and very good work !
I was wondering if anyone had ever tried the H&K Tubemeister 36 to play PF riffs ?
What’s interesting to me with such amp is the possibility to select the power stages of the integrated power soak (36, 18, and 5 watts, 1 watt and Speaker Off), which means the possibility to play without waking up everybody at home for instance… and also to play with a band !
But what about the sound, is it possible to get something close to DG sound ? Please keep on Gilmouring :-)
[Thanks a lot for your kind words, Laurent! I don’t have that much experience with the Tubemeister… Anyone care to comment? – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn,
i’ll soon move to a house where i’ll be able to use the Laney Cub head on the 15 W channel with no problem. Do you think that the Tc Spark Booster in the effects loop will still be necessary?
AND… have you tried the 15W channel and does it accept all the Analogman Sunfaces, Big Muff clones, with no problem, no bleeding, etc…? (Like a Laney Lionheart 20 w head would)
I had never the chance to try the 15W cjannel, but I’m referring to the old theory about fuzzes sounding at their best when used at loud volumes…
[THAT BEING SAID HOW CAN YOU GET SUCH A PERFECT RESULT IN YOUR ANALOGMAN SUNFACE BC 109 REVIEW, KNOWING THAT YOU’ RE USING THE 1W INPUT?… it’s a bit in contradiction
with the LOUD AMp Theory…]
Regards,
Sebastien
[Hi Sebastien! The 15w channel handles most of the typical DG pedals without any problems. Apart from the TD maybe… The SunFace clip was recorded with the 1w and only the BC109 between the guitar and amp. However, I had an Electronic Orange Bananaboost in the loop. The pedal was set for a clean slight volume boost to drive the power tubes for a bit more balls. I also had the amp gain at about 4, I think, which still sounds clean but you get a bit more bite and a more powerful basis for the fuzz. Both are effective tips for making a small amp sound bigger. One thing you can’t achieve though, without cranking the amp really hard, is the compression you get from driving the speakers hard. For that you need volume. – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn!
I’m really excited for the new album, especially that last song on there that clocks 16 minutes! Haven’t seen bands do that since the late 70s. Anyway, I’m looking into getting a new head for my amp, my 15w Laney Cub doesnt do as well as I’d like it to with a drummer in the mix. I was looking at Hi-Tone, a company that makes Hiwatt clones, apparently very good ones too, but there are a few things I dont really understand. I’ve read that 50w amps are generally better for cranking purposes, because they break up faster, and 100w are better for cleans and have more headroom, however, I don’t know if that applies to Hiwatts so much, because they’re designed to stay clean at very high volume levels. I know you play through a Reeves Custom 50, how does that work for you in a loud band situation? I ideally would want a lot of headroom, but I’m not playing stadiums, I’m mostly playing clubs, small venues, and jams. I would love to have the headroom, but I think the 100w may be a bit overkill for jams and smaller venues. Thanks in advance, and good luck on your new album!
[Thanks for your kind words, Yoel! I don’t think you should look at the wattage label alone to judge how loud an amp will play. It all relative to how the amp is designed, what speakers you use etc etc. A 20w can blow the head of a 100w… I’m using a Laney L20 for rehearsals and it’s loud as hell. Still, a different 20w with less headroom would distort when you crank it pass noon or even sooner… I think you just need to try different amps, read up on their specs and check out reviews and YT clips to get an impression of how they really sound. – Bjorn]
After reading (and re-reading his article), I went to the local guitar stores and tried as many of the different amps listed here as I could find. Unfortunately, no one here in south Florida carries the Laney Cub. (I wanted to check that out.) I finally settled on the Bugera V5, because the houses here are practically on top of each other.
While I may not have achieved the Gilmour tone with all the products I’ve purchased, thanks to this site and Bjorn’s research, I’ve found a lot of great tones with quality products. (Your boost tips have been invaluable.)
I think my next purchase will probably be the musket. I think it may sound better with my lower level home set up, or do you suggest something else?
Thanks for all your hard word, Bjorn!!!
[Thank you, Pete! I think the Musket will be a great combo for the Bugera. You might also want to check out the MojoHand Iron Bell, which is a very versatile Muff/Rat pedal :) – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn!
Considering a new amp for my collection that would be a vintage Twin reverrb, what would be the most appropriated in terms of speaker? Jensen C12n model or JBL D120F ?
Thank you! Christophe
[Of the two I’d go for the Jensen. – Bjorn]
Hi Mr Riis,
Could you please calrify for me: are the “fane crescendos” 12″ speakers the same thing as the “Fane Purplebacks” (in this example they’re taken from a 75 Hiwatt Cab)?
Thanks !
Regards.
uwe
[Hi Uwe! I’m no expert on the old Fanes. From what I can gather, both were 50w speaker. If it’s the same speaker, I don’t know but I think the Purple Backs got their name from the purple sticker on the magnet and the Crescendos had black stickers. Fane made a lot of different speakers and many had more or less the same specs. – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn,
I forgot to ask: Do you remember the setting in mA you’ve used for your EL84 JJ power tubes into the laney Cab, when adjusting Bias?
is it somewhere between 15 mA (cool setting) and 22 mA( hot setting)?
thanks again and
have a nice day.
Sebastien
[Hmmm… I don’t do this my self. I just deliver it to a tech that I use and hope for the best he he :) – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn! I’ve been researching what tube amp I should get to replace my modeling amp, and I’ve settled on the Laney Cub stack, mainly for it’s low price, light weight and versatility, but also because I just love the attitude and looks of it.
I’m also set on buying a looper pedal for practice(I have my eyes on the Digitech JamMan Solo XT, but am open for suggestions), a Muff or fuzz (either a Bass Big Muff or a cheaper (germanium?) fuzz pedal) and perhaps a boost or tube screamer to give the amp a bit more hair in case I need it for heavier stoner rock or grunge type of sounds.
Would you have any recommendations for essential pedals to use with the Cub? I’m not asking for my Cub to become a modern sounding amp, but I want to start experimenting with effects to get close to the tone of some of my favorite blues rock to heavy alternative rock bands (like Graveyard (from Sweden) or De Staat (from the Netherlands)). For instance, I’ve read that you recommend using other pedals to get the most out of a fuzz pedal with the Cub. I would highly appreciate any tips you can give me!
Thank you very much for your time and dedication! I love reading your reviews and comments!
Marten
[Hi Marten. Sorry for my late reply. The Cub is a versatile amp that can handle most pedals. Seems to me that you want pedals that can cover as much ground as possible so something versatile would be appropriate I guess. Fuzz pedals can sound a bit harsh on smaller amps so you might want to consider something else like a Muff or RAT distortion, which both can emulate fuzz tones from Gilmour and the more heavy stuff. In case of a Muff, I recommend the Bass BM from EHX. The germanium is more of an overdrive and shouldn’t really be confused with a Muff. In terms of overdrive and boosting, a Tube Screamer is best used as a stand alone overdrive unit, whereas a Boss BD2 or similar, works better for boosting. You might also want to check out pedals like the OCD and PlexiDrive, which both are similar to the Tube Driver that David’s using and they’ll give you a versatile palette of tones. Hope this helped :) – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
I’m looking for your opinion of the Fender Champion 600.
It’s the best thing for my budget and I am strongly considering this amp.
By the looks of it, it’s perfect!
I was hoping you could give me a little insight into what i’ll be getting into.
I’m curious as to how it will sound with the BYOC Large Beaver, and some of their other clones.
Will I be able to get a decent Gilmourish sound without having to push it past it’s limits?
Thanks in advance!
-Brandon
[Hi Brandon. The 600 has its obvious limitations and I wouldn’t consider it as anything else than a very nice practice amp. For David’s more complexe tones however, based on pedals and a more dynamic amp tone, it might be just a bit too limited. Depends on what tones you want, how many pedals etc but demanding pedals like Muffs, fuzz etc doesn’t work that well on this amp. It sounds OK but perhaps not how you know David’s tones from the albums. Sorry to sound a bit negative but I’m just giving you my honest opinion. If your budget allows it I would suggest checking our the Laney Cub series or perhaps, something used, like a Fender Blues Jr or similar. Good luck :) – Bjorn]
Cheers from the states, Great site ! Thanks for the info not just on gilmours stuff but pedals and amps in general !
My question is I cant find a dealer in the US to try out the Laney Cub or Lionheart 5 watt. I missed by the Lionheart for a great price on ebay the other day…but anyways heres my dilemma.. I have a fender Hot Rod deluxe, changed the tubes etc and I love the amp. I am just a hobbyist. The problem with the amp is that its too loud for me to really get the sweet spot tones of any flavor without annoying the girlfriend…. Its been satisfying for now but I am really missing out on really hearing the tone and dialing my own flavor / tone. I am going to sell my Hot Rod..by the way I only used the clean channel. The dirty channels not good. I was going to order the Laney 15watt stack or possilby the Lion heart….will the Lionheart be loud enough if I want to jam with others eventually? My other options were the Fender Princeton or Deluxe Reverb. Just depends on how much I want to spend, and on your opinion of the Laney12 Cub being comparable to fender clean tones. I love gilmour but I float between classic rock , SRV, and even into metallica..but mainly play blues style. I loved the Fender Cleans. I dont want to be dissapointed with buying a Laney without actually playing through it. Anyhow thanks for the web site and your dedication. Found some great info on some pedals I bought off your reccomendation….Any input is appreciated ! Thanks Eric
[Thanks for your kind words, Eric! Glad you enjoy my site :) The Cub is right in the Hiwatt territory with a clean and transparent tone. Very different from Fender so if that’s what you’re seeking, then you’re better off with a smaller Fender and I strongly recommend the Blues Jr. That being said the Cub is great for lots of pedals and, in my opinion, it’s a more versatile amp than a Fender. Especially for the heavier stuff. The Cub12 stack is loud enough for a small band setup but it drowns in a normal rehearsal or club setting. – Bjorn]
I think the VHT Special 12/20 is nice and versatile too.
nice tone and features (power scaling, tube changes, and even a 9Vpedal power supply) and eyelet board construction.
hard to beat in the $500 range.
has a version with tremolo and reverb too.
[Thanks! I’ll check it out :) – Bjorn]
hello,
thank you for the advice. Talking about the laney Cub, what do you mean by re-biasing the amp?
I only get the Valve change for better quality.
How do you re-bias (tutorial?) and what is the purpose?
Thanks again!
[Check out this feature for some tips. Biasing require some tools and unless you’re a skilled tech you should bring the amp to someone who knows these things. Poking around in there can be very dangerous for both you and the amp. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn! Got the opportunity to purchase a Peavey Classic 30 Head. The price is a little steep, though. Anyway, I wanna know if you think it’s worth buying it over the Combo. Thanks you very much!
[I’ve only tried the 30 combo and the 50 head but the classic series is great so I don’t think you can go wrong :) – Bjorn]
I just adjusted the bias on my JJ EL84 in the Laney cub 12r.
The two tube are not match but set them around 23,8 mA for one and 26mA for the other.
Sound freaking great.. Gain halfway, there are a lot of harmonics with my cheap squier classic vibe white telecaster with stock pickup.
The amp stock is not loud enough with the band, so I should have bought the head and gone through a 2×12 cab with louder greenbacks than the single rocket 50 it comes with..
[That might work but I don’t think 12w is enough for a band setup regardless speakers… if your band plays as loud as mine :) – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn,
I’d like to know your opinion about the Blackstar HT-5H, against the Laney Cub, and Hiwatt T20; I’ve recently bought all the Pink Floyd lessons from Lick Library, and James Humphries makes a short demo of his gear where he has the Blackstart HT-5H head, and swears by it !
Is it the real deal? is the drive channel more like a JCM 800 ?
Best regards,
Christophe
[Depends on what tones you want. All three are fairly similar but the HT has a slightly darker tone and as much headroom as the Cub and Hiwatt. If you intend to use the amps in a bedroom/livingroom setup, then it doesn’t matter much since the true character of the amp often reveals it self at high volume levels. Personally, I’d go for the Cub or Hiwatt. – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn,
I’d like to confirm to TQ williams that the Laney Cub Head will accept a total of 16 ohm (2 speakers of 8 ohms wired in series) as well as a total of 8 ohm (2 speakers of 16 omhs wired in parallel).
there are indeed two outputs for the speaker cab at the back of the head : 8 and 16 ohms;
best regards
Thanks for your reply Bjorn.
I am afraid the Weber speakers are not easy to get here in middle Europe and shipping and taxes from the US would cost a prime. Are there other speakers from the range of brands like Jensen, Eminence, Celestion, WGS, Monacor, Electrovoice, B&C or Fane that you could recommend. All those are quite easy to get here. Furthermore, a custom manufacturer of cabs – tube-town – recommends Jensen Neodym Tornado (100W) as very versatile speakers covering clean to heavy overdrive and having a neutral response without coloring the tone. Could you please comment on that? Thanks, Markus
[I think there are others here that can answer this better than me. If you want the Fane tone you needs speakers with high wattage, 70-80w, a fairly transparent tone with a nice mids scoop and a large ceramic magnet for the power and huge headroom. But again, I’m sure others have more experience with different models than I. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn.
I am always enjoying your site very much and would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your efforts.
Furthermore I would like to ask you a question: I was planning to get a Hiwatt T40 Combo, but now I may have the opportunity to pick up an Hiwatt DR504 (50W) head built in 1978 with all the original ingredients (partridge transformers, mullard tubes,…), which is in perfect condition. Unfortunately I do not know which cabinet I should use with this head. I was thinking of some 2×12″ cabinet due to easier handling. I would be very happy if you could give me some hints. Thanks, Markus.
[Thanks for your kind words, Markus! I think the Hiwatt needs high wattage speakers. The original combo of the Hiwatt head and the Fane speakers is what made the Hiwatt tone – the large headroom, fat low end and crisp top. There are lots of options out there but you might be better off with buying a cab and fitting it with some Fane-ish speakers. I’m using Weber Thames 80w ceramics my self and couldn’t be happier :) – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn. This guides a big help, but I was wondering something. Would an Orange amp (specifically an OR15), be able to do a convincing Gilmour tone? What’s your opinion on Orange?
[I’m not that experienced with Orange but in general I think they’re just a bit too aggressive and dark, without the headroom of the Hiwatts and similar. But again, I’m not the right one to ask. – Bjorn]
@ Vangelis,! The BlackStars use Celestion Seventy 80’s, not one of their better speakers. I’m not too knowledgeable abouts their cabinets, but I’d go for the matching cab, and change out the speaker if you can afford it. The Seventy 80 isn’t a horrible speaker, but the small magnets don’t have a great deal of focused bottom. But I played through one for two years, and at bedroom levels it wasn’t bad. If that wishy washy explanation helps? LOL
Hi Bjorn!
Great article, as usual!
I’d like to ask for your opinion. I want to buy a Laney cub 12 head guitar amp. Can I combine this with the Blackstar 1×12 cabinet? Or should I stick to the Laney cabinet?
[I haven’t tried that myself but I’m sure it will work fine. Not sure what Celestion it’s in the Blackstar but I don’t think it will make a huge difference from the Cub. – Bjorn]
Btw, the amp will be used mainly at home (ain’t 15W too much for that matter) but also has to be able too handle small audience clubs.
Hi Bjorn,
First off, thanks for the great site with an epic amount of information!
I’ve got a question. If you could choose between the laney Cub 12 (stack) and the Fender Blues Junior III disregarding the difference in price, which one would you choose knowing David’s Pulse sound was your favorite?
Thanks and greets,
Dominique
[Thanks, Dominique! Glad you enjoy the site :) Depends on how you’ll be using the amps. Personally I wouldn’t trust neither for touring. These are fairly cheap practice amps and not built for the road although the occasional club gig will do. The Cub is closer to the Hiwatt while the BJ is, well, a Fender. Both works well with most of David’s pedals and will cover most of his tones. I don’t know. The BJ is probably a better amp but I think I’d go for the CUB in terms of versatility. – Bjorn]
Ηι Bjorn!!!
I have a koch studiotone 40watt and i would like to suggest me a setting for Gilmour in this amp!!
Sorry for my English…
Thank you very much!!
[I haven’t tried that amp myself so I can’t suggest anything specific but check out this feature for some tips and recommendations. – Bjorn]
Would a Laney Lionheart 5w or 20w handle a Colorsound Powerboost and an Analogman fuzz better? Also, would a Laney Cub 12 be able to handle both stated before? Im considering getting any of those three but id like to hear it from you which ones going to handle those pedals better and which one you prefer.
[All three amps handles the Colorsound and fuzz pedals but these pedals needs a bit of volume. If you’re planning on sitting in your bedroom with neighbours next door then you might want to consider something else, as they will (or might) sound thin and dull without the needed volume. The reason is that these pedals were designed to operate with loud and powerful tube amps and interact with the hard driven tubes. So, it depends on how you’ll be using the amp. – Bjorn]
hey, what do you think of the BYOC tweed royal kits? -Josh J
[Haven’t tried it so I can’t tell but based on BYOC’s work in general I have every reason to think it’s great :) – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn, just wondering if could tell me what you think of the Fender 65 deluxe reverb reissue to use in conjunction with delay/fuzz/flanger/OD/Compression pedals for a “Gilmourish” type amp. I have played my Fender Strats through one in the shop & it certainly gives very nice Fender bell like cleans & clarity …and of course its a very famous amp!….but I wonder if I should also look at the Laney Lioheart L5T-112 which from the Youtube clips sounds a great contender too!
I’ll be upgrading from a Fender Super Champ XD.
I’ve ruled out the Fender Mustang amps, too much ..don’t need all the digital presets, the Fender Blues Junior wouldn’t be much of a change I would guess & the Hot Rod Deluxe too powerful. The Peavey Classic 30 is not one I’m really keen to get, pricewise etc.
Anyway just gathering some ideas!..what do you think?
Cheers, Ross
[It certainly got that vintage bright Fender chime to it. Most of David’s typical effects goes well although Muffs and fuzz in particular needs a bit of volume to really open up. You might find that silicon fuzzes in particular sound a bit too bright. The Lionheart is a very different sounding amp. More towards a Vox. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn!
I bought the Laney CUB 12R stack after reading your review, and you may have said it before but I can’t find it now, but what tubes do you recommend upgrading to that keep it Hiwatt-ish? The JJ’s of the same 3 x ECC83 valves in the preamp and the output section consists of 2 x EL84 output valves?
Also would it be worth it to upgrade the two speakers to the Vintage Purple from Reeves “…modeled after the Fane speakers used by Hi watt in the ’70’s Available separately $129.00 ea + Shipping (16 ohm only). Is 16ohm going to work with the Laney CUB 12R stack?
Thanks
[Replacing tubes isn’t like swapping between two very different pedals. It’ll give you very subtle difference. Still, I’ve found that JJs works nicely for the Cub – I also use them for my Reeves. Compared to most other tubes that I’ve tried they have a smoother and warmer tone. You will probably notice that your Cub sounds a tad darker, cleaner and more dynamic. I’d replace the tubes before the speakers to be able to tell the difference. The Reeves Vintage Purples are 75w each I think, which will give you a lot of headroom but also a brighter tone and you might even have to play a bit louder to get the same dynamics and response as you do with the current speakers. I have Weber Thames speakers in the Cub cab myself and prefer it this way. Wiring two 16ohm speakers in parallel, will give you 8ohm in total, which is the only option on the Cub. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn, I like to have much headroom so I decided to change the stock speaker that doesn’t sound so bad but to me has a dull sound. I mean that with my Amstd strat with cs69 pu I can’t achieve bright/clear sounds like those Pompeii tones. I’m curios about Jensens because they was used also in classic bright amps in 70s but seems that the weber are better…. What do you think?
Thanks
Luca
[I don’t have that much experience with Jensen my self but for more headroom I’d choose a ceramic speaker. Wattage-wise I think the C12Q or C12N would be a great match for the Cub. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
thank you for your extensive look at these amps and the great care you give to all the comments, I really appreciate it!
Actually, I’m also looking to upgrade my current amp, a Fender Mustang II. YouTube demos have really made me appreciate the sound signature of Laney amps. So far, I’ve really enjoyed the CUB 12R, Cub Head, 5 watt Lionheart and the new TI15 Tony Iommi signature amp. I’m primarily a blues to hard rock player and I am also planning on buying a Muff or fuzz pedal soon. I want to nail that vintage and fat tone that bands like Queens of the Stone Age, Graveyard, Triggerfinger or Soundgarden have worked a lot with. I really like to play some cleaner blues tracks as well.
Have you tried the TI15? If not, what would be the best choice for me buying a small Laney amp, primarily for home use? The Lionheart is really quite a bit out of my budget, but I would really appreciate to hear what you can tell me about these amps.
Thanks!
Marten
[Hi Marten! Thanks for your kind words! Teh Laney Cubs are perhaps the most versatile of the ones you list. They have that unmistakable Hiwatt/Marshall character with a bright mids scooped tone great for handling pedals. Perhaps a bit light for the heavier tones but with the right pedals you’ll have no problems nailing it. The Lionheart are closer to a Vox although with a bit less aggressive character. I love these but they’re more blues and classic rock than hard rock and metal. I haven’t tried the TI15 yet but I would imagine it’s a versatile amp capable of everything from blues to metal. – Bjorn]
Bjorn, you do a wonderful job! Congratulations
I’m a stalker tone Gilmour.
I have a Fender Super shamp x2 with eminence cajun patriot 10 ‘and a Vox AC 15 celestion greenback 12 “, but I prefer the sound on the Vox AC 15.
I use:
Fender Mexican strato (emg dg 20)
Fender American strato (cs69 and ssl5)
Pedals: CS3, SD1, OD3, MXR custon 77, TS9, RAT 2, MUFF tone wicker, Neo mistress, Phase 90, Neo clone (EHX), DD20, TC flashback, LINE 6 MM4 (u-vibe/tremolo/leslie)
I do not care all pedals simultaneously!
I use online selctor boss (A / B) to reduce the chain.
For me, the most beautiful sound of Gilmour’s On an Island (Gdansk), what is that??
I can not get this sound! But do not give up ….
My questions:
BD2 is better than OD3, SD1, TS9??
MUFF tone wicker is a good fuzz tones for Gilmour?? You indicate a fuzz better (small)?
VOX AC 15 what do you think??
I’m your fan!
Hugs, Andre / Brazil
[Hi Andre! Sorry for my late reply. Explaining tone and how to achieve a certain tone is a long process and it always comes down to personal preferences and individual setups etc. Check out this feature for some general amp set up tips and this feature for some tips on how to arrange your pedals. To your questions:
1. Depends on what tones you’re looking for. The BD2 has a transparent tones, which makes it great for classic overdrive and boost. If you want darker and smoother tones, then the OD3, TS9 etc are better options. See this feature for more recommendations.
2. The Wicker is a great sounding Big Muff. Check out the Bass Muff as well for those early 90s Sovtek tones.
3. Personally I’m not that fond of VOX but it’s a versatile amp and great for Gilmour’s tones as well. Which amp works for you depends on a great many things but ultimately it comes down to what tones you’re looking for and how you’ll be using the amp – stage, studio, bedroom etc.
– Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn, I’m thinking of changing the speaker and probably tubes in my little Laney cub12r, when I read a recent comment on the Reeves review you did… You said:
“I’m also very happy with the Laney Cub. I wouldn’t tour with it but I’ve replaced the tubes, tightened the bias and replaced the stock Celestions with Weber.â€
My cub is equipped with Ruby Tubes and the stock celestion, do you think that if I install a weber thames or a Jensen c12K I’ll need to replace the tubes or not? And what do you mean with “tight the bias†?
Need your help once time, Jedi master!
Regards,
Luca
[Hi Luca! Sorry for my late reply. The Webers are high wattage speakers, which means that you’ll get A LOT of headroom from the Cub. I prefer it this way but you might go for something with less wattage if you rely on the gain stage of the amp. I should also mention that the Webers are very clean, bright and transparent and you might have a hard time getting the smooth and warm tones you may need on low bedroom levels. The stock Celestions are OK but nothing special so I’d replace these anyway with perhaps some V30s, Jensen or the Webers… there are lot of other speakers out there as well. You don’t have to chance tubes when you replace the speakers. Change the speakers fist and hear how that sound with the tubes you got. Rubys are punchy and crisp, while I prefer JJs, which are a bit warmer. Still, you might not even hear a difference at all. – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn,
I’d like to know your opinion about using a pair of Celestion Vintage 30 speakers into a 2X 12 cab for Gilmourish tones (home use with a Laney Cub head).
I’ve had the chance to try the Celestion V30 in a store, and to compare them to Tayden retro 55 speakers which are supposed to be the european answer to Weber Thames. I have to say that I have prefered the Celestion V30, smoother to my ears, but as clean as the other at higher settings…
what is your opinion about using the Celestion V30 instead of your favorite weber Thames?
regards,
Sebastien
[They’re two very different sounding speakers. The Webers are high wattage with all the headroom in the world and very little mid range, so they will appear clean and perhaps too bright on some amps. The V30s are darker sounding and the lower wattage, allows a sooner breakup, which is why they work so well for Marshall and similar. Depends on what tones you’re looking for really but it seems that the V30s are the best choice for you… since you already tried them and liked them anyway. – Bjorn]
I know tube amps are superior but lately I’ve been using a little Tech 21 Trademark 30 amp more than my Marshall and Fender Twin. Why? It only weighs 13 pounds and I can easily carry it from the bedroom to the living room or to rehearsal, it gets plenty loud for a 30 watter, it has an fx loop, it has direct out for recording, and also offers decent analog amp modelling. Oh, did I mention it only weighs 13 pounds :)
[Thanks for the tip! – Bjorn]
I bought the Laney Cub 12 stack after watching all your demos for the last year or so and am very pleased. I usually play a 95ish Fender Blues Deluxe thats been moded a bit( jj tubes, weber thames) and it is absolutely too loud to play at home. As a result I never felt like i could dial in my byoc rb and band practice isn’t usually the best time to fiddle with your pedals. Thanks for this great resource you’ve created it’s been a great help to me :)
[Glad it worked out for you :) – Bjorn]
Hi there, Im From Brasil, and i have a transistor amp from Hiwatt, the G100R … what did you think about him?
the clean tone is very similar to the valve’s one, please i would like a comment about this amp.
[They’re quite OK. Not tube tone obviously but the clean channel is unmistakably Hiwatt. You might also want to look into the Hiwatt Tube Series if you can find them. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn, first of all thank u for this great page. it’s the most useful all over the web :) one question. i’m about to buy a T20 Hiwatt head+cab and… u say it doesnt have send return loop…. but from the webpage of hiwatt says it does have. is it right ? thank You … Steven
[Hi Steven! Thanks for your kind words! A little typo there… Thanks for pointing that out! – Bjorn]
Now you know I understand that completely, and you couldn’t be a dick, unless severely provoked. I personally think Catalinbread made a huge mistake not sending you one, and if you don’t mention it again, thet get what they deserve. I’m just trying to decide on a one trick pony, the Echorec, or something that’s close, but does more, the El Capistan. I take it from the original hoopla, they were supposed to send you one, but “forgot” or something. If I was rich, I’d send you one of every pedal made! And I just listened to the Effectrode clip, and I think it just may edge the Vibe machine out, glad I waited. Your solo, where the sax solo normally goes is amazing, and I assume your own. You’ve been doing Gilmour so long, if I had heard that anywhere else, I’d have sworn it was Gilmour himself. The phrasing is 100% spot on Gilmour.
Thanks for another thing to buy GASMAN! Keith :)
[Thanks Keith! Based on the clips I’ve heard, the Echorec sounds great and perhaps as close as it’s possible to get with a pedal. Replicating the Echorec is not an easy task. In terms of versatility I think there are other better models on the market, like the EL Capistan, Empress etc. I’m also waiting for the Effectrode model coming later this year. – Bjorn]
Great answer.
Your site; your rules
Now, they will pay the price for their lack of vision…
Make them suffer, jajajaja
[Ha ha! There are some nice review on the net already but it would be fitting with a nice Gilmour angle on the pedal I think. After all, he was kind of the Binson ambassador in the 70s :) – Bjorn]
Keith, I have the Catalinbread Echorec and can say I love it. There are good YouTube video’s comparing the pedal to a Binson, and it is easy to hear where the Catalinbread sounds different; lacks that full “spacey” sound. However, it is a great delay pedal. I have a TC Nova delay, and wanted something to use on the older songs, as well as being a bit simpler to operate. The Catalinbread does both. It is now my numer one delay, aside for songs where a digital is needed. Has a bit of a learning curve to find your sound, and you’ll want to “play” with all of the combinations when you first get it.
Thanks for the tip Bjorn! I was talking delays with Stephen, and I wondered why you nor anyone seem to have the excitement about the Catalinbread that was initially present when it came out. Have you seen one in your hands yet, or just give up on it for some reason? Just curious, as I still have GAS for it, but was really looking forward to you reviewing it. I don’t trust videos from sellers like I do yours!
Thanks for the help on SOYCD, Keith
[Hmmmm… Well, all my reviews are purely based on my very personal opinion and the fact that I would use the item anytime – 100% unbiased. Still, with the fear of sounding like a dick, since I don’t get a dime from hosting this site I don’t give a full reveiw of stuff I need to buy myself :) Interpret that as you like :) – Bjorn]
Bjorn,
Have you had a chance to play the Fender Mustang III yet? If so, what did you think of it? I’m thinking about getting an Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster. But I still have not decided which amp to purchase with it. Also, can you recommend a couple of basic pedals to start out with until I get more experience playing, thanks.
Mark
[Hi Mark. The Mustang is OK but personally I think there are better sounding amps on the market. Since you’ll be using pedals anyway, why not check out a single channel tube amp like the Laney Cub series or a Fender Blues Jr? In terms of pedals, I think it’s wise to start off with the very basics. Assuming you’ll be covering Gilmour’s tones I’d go for a distortion, overdrive and delay. My best advice is to put some money into a good guitar, amp and a few pedals and build your tone from there. There are lots of great budget alternatives if you know where to look. Check out the new Mooer series and pedals like the Black Secret, Hustle Drive and some of the delays. Check out the Overdrives and distortion feature on this site too for some tips. I’ll soon be posting a budget section so you might want to look out for that one as well :) – Bjorn]
That’s what I thought, the magic of production often produces unattainable results without that processing. It sounds like a lot of compression, and reverb, and some modulation when he picks the four note melody.
Thanks Bjorn, I’ll have to live with close for now, K~
[You can get fairly close with a neutral setting on your Reeves (all EQs at noon) and a transaparent compressor. Use the neck pickup and roll down the guitar volume to about 7 or 8. You might want to roll down the tone a bit too for a slightly muffled sound. Keep you’re picking gentle with a heavy gauge pick. – Bjorn]
My personal love is the album, while Rick is holding that droning root chord, and the chimes are ringing, David plays that first solo that goes into the four picked notes that he repeats and goes into the second blusey solo. Just as he’s finishing up the initial solo, and going into the picked melody line, there’s that Liquid Chime about his guitar I have never heard on any other recording. It as if each note drips of his guitar? I can read the settings, and setups a hundred times, but something just isn’t there, close, but not as vapor like. Ha, I just added another word, vaporous liquid crystal chime! Yep, that’s it, and I cannot reproduce it. If I could, I’d start a spaceblues band on that one tone!
I’m sure it’s him, and something in the stereo mix, but I’d love to get really close.
Thanks, hope you can hear my visual description, K~
[OK… the first solo, during the intro, was recorded straight into the mixing desk with a Strat using the neck pickup. This is not dokumented as far as I know, but you can hear that slightly processed tone with studio compression and limiting. You can’t replicate the with an amp and pedals. The second solo, after the band has entered, was recorded with a Strat starting with the neck and ending with the bridge. There are no sources conforiming what amp setup he used, but I think it’s a fair assumption that he used the Hiwatt and possibly a Leslie that was mixed very low. There might be a Colorsound there as well but then again, it could simply be volume and studio compression. As I wrote in the previous reply, David used the guitar volume a lot to control the tone and gain and, very important, you need to add the mics they used and the positioning of these as well. – Bjorn]
I empathize with Mick, and he struck a note with me referring to the sound as “dripping water”. I have tried to express with words the sound he gets that I covet most, and always used crystalline, and bell clear, but add liquid to those adjectives, and that IS THE SOUND!!! I want to once in my life, perfectly replicate that sound in the beginning of SOYCD, when he’s doing the initial solo, and in those first picked notes of the little melody. It’s like a viscous liquid, dripping on a crystal bell! Dun-da-dun-dahhh….. What pedals, would I need to use to get that sound. It’s a no dirt, clean sound, but I cannot find it with The Amp, The Guitar, The speakers, and THESE Fingers. There has to be something that will get me there! I’m rambling, but I finally put into words what is almost indescribable!
See how you get those sounds yourself, and please try to relate anything you may be doing that is the little tid bit I, and Mick can’t seem to find.
Thanks Bjorn, I’m really happy to find a way to describe that sound!! Keith
[Album version or live? – Bjorn]
Hi, I guess I should have been more specific. With songs like “Shine On” on “Live in Gdansk”, the notes on David’s guitar work (especially the clean intro) sound like they are dripping water with a kind of “ping” sound bouncing off each note (The clean & overdrive tones in this song/solo are right near the very top of the mountain for my overall favorite tones). I thought maybe I should be adding some reverb, but too much seems to kill off the overall sound. So, I thought you might have some more insight on how to get more of that sound. I reread some of the tone guides you suggested, they are always helpful to refresh my memory (You have built up a pretty massive site of info/clips, etc. to feed on!). Thanks again for all you are doing!
[I guess what you’re referring to is the attack of his picking and tone. That’s a bit complicated to describe and talk about but in essence, it’s a combination of his picking, the tone of the pickups, his pedals and the amp. What you hear on Shine On Gdansk, is the red Strat with the EMG SA active pickups. These feature active tone control and he’s engaged the SPC mid range booster. This rounds off the harsh top you sometimes get with single coils and adds warmth and punch. He’s also using a compressor pedals tat squeezes the tone for a smooth attack and rich sustain. The Hiwatt amps he’s using has a clean bright tone that adds to the clarity of his guitar tone. Perhaps most importantly, he alternates his picking between very very soft and gentle and hard for the climatic parts of the solo. He’s also adjusting the guitar volume with his picking for more or less gain. Gentle picking and he’s lowering the guitar volume. This adds to the soft attack and compression. Aggressive picking and he increases the volume for a brighter tone. Hope this helped :) – Bjorn]
Hi, I have been putting together my rig with your help and have my strat with emg pickups, a reeves custom 50 combo (which is really a cool amp after mostly working with distortion style amps over the years) and a few pedals with a diamond compressor, Bk Tube driver and a strymon el capistan delay. I can get in the neighborhood of David Gilmour’s tones, which I have been looking for, but I would still like to get more of that “Dripping Water” sound I hear coming from his playing (that is the only way I can describe how it sounds to me!), especially on his more recent work “Live in Gdansk”, etc. So, I thought I would go to the best source to see if you can help me and others on the tone quest. Thanks.
[Not quite sure what you mean by “dripping water” as his 2006 didn’t feature any modulation like in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Check out the Tone-Amps feature for some amp setup tips and the Tone-Pedal feature for some general tone tips. You might want to check out the Big Muff Tone Tutorial feature as well. Hope this helped :)
Hi! I’m considering a Laney Cub 12 (combo version with one 12″ speaker). Now I have little Fender Champion 600 amp and it’s great but i feel that the “6 speaker can’t handle my Big Muff Pi, it’s not the sound of muff i expected. Will Laney be better, will it handle the muff with all character of this effect? Is it worth to upgrade to laney from this fender?
Thanks, Bjorn – great site :D
[Definitely. – Bjorn]
I use a Hiwatt T40H in one of my setups. The ability to go down to 20 watts with the flick of a switch makes it more versatile. I use it with either 1 or 2 x Fitzmaurice 2 x 12 cabs, which are good enough for all but the largest venues. It does need miking outdoors, but everything needs miking outdoors if your sound guy knows his job, and you’ll be more likely using an iso cab outdoors. Also I can’t vouch for the T20, but the T40 does have an FX loop.
[Thanks for the input, Davis! – Bjorn]
Hi Björn,
Have you tried the Orange Tiny Terror?
Do you think it could handle Gilmour tones?
Cheers
-Joel
[Not enough headroom if you’re planning on using it with pedals. That little thing is an angry little beast… – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn, I’m writing you to have some infos concerning the hiwatt t 40 since I’m intended to buy it to replace my actual hiwatt solid state head : a maxwatt 200w hd, which is obviously too powerful for rehearsals and quite hard to tame in smaller venues and indoors generally speaking. The cool thing about the T40 is the power scaling feature allowing me to use it at 20w for rehersals and 40 live. I’m gonna use it on a 4×12 hiwatt speaker, my question is: do you think the t40 could be useful even for outdoors venues, considered that stadiums and arenas are not included in my tour schedule? :D (unfortunately), thank you very much for your work and your site, amazing as usual. Cheers, Matteo
[I think it would. You will be mic’ing the cab anyway so any amp would be sufficient really. Just be sure to position yourself so that you can hear the amp or use a front monitor. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
After reading your answer about the use of a Plexidrive in front of the Laney Cub, I’m starting to doubt about the sincerity of all the PGS tests on youtube with all that pedals that are said to make your clean Fender or Hiwatt sound like a JTM or a Plexi (Wampler plexidrive, Wampler Pinnacle, Wampler plextortion, CMATMODS brownie, Catalinbread Dirty Little secret, etc, etc , etc…) .
Maybe you ‘ve given the closest representation when you say that it just makes your amp sound “more Marshally”, “not turning your amp into a JTM”.
Do you have experimented with other Wampler heavier pedals trought the Laney Cub like Plextortion ? gearmanndude uses them trough a fender Blues Junior or DrZ amps when “demoing”.
I’ve tested a Laney cub at a local store (which I love for it’s purity in clean tones) and I’d also love to know a pedal that would make it sounding close to a JTM w, when I want those hendrix tones…. All that because the Mini marshalls like JTM1 are MUUUCCHHH LOOOUUUDER than the laney Cub, even with the 1 W setting I’m not sure that those mini marshall Heads would be appropriate fer my ” Living Room” Playing. haven’t you tried them ?
Kind regards,
Uwe
[See my reply in regards to the Marshalls below. No pedal can make any amp sound like anything it’s not. A Fender will always sound like a Fender and a Marshall will always sound like a Marshall. I use lots of “sim” pedals, like the PlexiDrive, Plextortion, rotary sims etc etc but all they do is to offer a similar character as the original. Your Cub, Fender, Marshall or whatever will still shine through. Keep in mind that the tone coming from the amp, is a combination of the amp (pre and output) and it’s speakers. I think the PGS demos are great and very honest but you can still hear the Fender Deluxe Reissue they’re using. So in other words, I don’t think you should go looking for a pedal that turns your amp into a huge vintage tube stack because you’ll never find it. That being said, Wampler makes some amazing sounding stuff and the PlexiDrive has been my fav overdrive for some time now. It definitely has that crispy, mid-rangy and slightly compressed JTM45 tone and I think a transparent amp, like the Cub or similar, would allow you to dial in some very nice Hendrix, Trower and even some Gilmour Tube Driver tones. Of course, replicating a tone also require some knowledge about how that original tone was created. Amp settings, pickups, pedals and settings etc. – Bjorn]
Hello again,
Thanks for your prompt answer!
I think I’ll end up with both of them. Really like the Laney Cub but, also would like that hendrix / trower sound. Have you tried the 50’th anniversary heads, and if yes, could you please tell me which one you actually recommend ? the JTM1 seems brighter than the JMP. I loved the soundclip of the JCM 1 also. …
… would it be a great choice and also evntually a clean base for the Gilmourish tones?
Best regards,
Uwe
[They’re very different sounding so it depends on what you’re looking for and what matches your guitar. Personally, I think the JMP sounded best but the JTM is perhaps the one with the most headroom, although neither of these has as much headroom as the Cub12. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
Due to your advice i bought de Bugera V22. Great sounding amp and works great at bedroom volumes. Still gotta try some overdrive pedal. I never would ‘ve gotten this great (and affordeble) amp unless I red your article.
Thanx for all the effort you put in this great site.
Cheers,
Johannes
[Glad I can help, Johannes! Congrats with the new amp! – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn.
what do you think about
Marshall bluesbraker 18w?
I play blues,pink floyd and rock’n’roll
Cheers.
[Don’t think you can go wrong :) – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn,
I’d like to be sure before buying a Head that would fit my2 X 12 cabinet, which has celestion V30 in it.
My needs are for bedroom use. I’m convinced by the Laney Cub head, for those Gilmour vintage clean tones, and using the classical muffs or fuzz face clones just in front of it…
BUT : I’m also a great great Trower / Hendrix fan, and would like to know if it would be ok to use The Laney Cub headt as a foundation for their tone, by using my Wampler plexidrive. And to be more precise, would it be a good choice to plug that pedal into the fx loop of the laney Cub .
Would it turn the Cub into a small JTM45 with crunch, letting me free of putting in front of the amp, the hendrix trower type of pedals (Analogman Ge fuzz face, MJM sixities vibe, fulltone fulldrive like trower does, etc etc…).
Or , would it be better to buy a type of Marshall Mini head ( JVM1 / JCM1 / JMP1….)
The question is much like laney cub w/ wampler Plexidrive in effects loop VS marshall JVM1 or JMP1 …….
Same question with the HIwatt T20 and Laney Lionheart 20 head, if not too loud for bedroom use.
Thank you.
have a Nice day.
Uwe
[The Lionheart L20H is subert but I think you’d have a problem taming the volume in your bedroom. The Cub head, with some proper tubes, sounds very much like a Hiwatt with a bright transparent character. Not really a Marshall, so if you’re desperately seeking that Trower/Hendrix tone, you might want to check out some of the Marshall mini-heads. The PlexiDrive works nicely with the Cub – it’s my main overdrive for that amp – but it won’t turn the amp into a JMT. More like a Hiwatt sounding more Marshally :) If you’re gonna place a booster in the loop, then it needs to be a transaprent clean booster like the TC Spark Booster or ThroBak Overdriveboost or you’ll get a dark muddy tone. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
I’m thinking to buy a small tube amp to practice at home, and liked the Laney Cub 12 sound but it’s a little expensive me. What do you think about the Cub 8?
Regards from Portugal
[Depending on what guitar and pedals you intend to use with it, you should be able to get some nice Gilmour tones. It doesn’t have as much headroom as the Cub12 but at low bedroom volume that shouldn’t be a problem. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn and fellows! Greetings from Brasilia – Brazil!
Thank’s for this post… really useful!
I’ve been following your blog for a while… can’t remember when I started it…
I want to buy a cheap amp, just for pratice and for create a basis tone… low wattage…
I wanna run some pedals before it, like BD-2, Zoom G3 and maybe a cool muff…
My thoughts:
-Fender Frontman 25r
-Bugera BC15 (I could afford the V5, but I believe this one is more charming)
-Laney Cub 8
-Fender Champion 600
Actually I had an Hughes & Kettner Attax 80, but I sold it a time ago… great clean tone…
[Hi Bruno! I’ve only tried the Frontman and Cub. I think the Frontman will give you the most for your buck but if your budget allows you to go for the Cub12 then that’s my best tip. – Bjorn]
Hey, great info as always. I have a JC120 and its far too loud to practice, does the laney cub have speaker out?
[The head doesn’t but the cab has a link feature. Not sure about the combos. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
First, thanks for all you are doing!
I’m buying a Reeves Custom Jimmy, sent them an email asking if it can acheive gilmour tones and they said it could, what do you think about it? And what new speakers do you recommend? Thank you so much!
[I haven’t tried the Jimmy myself but from what I understand you can tweak it for both classic Hiwatt with lots of headroom and those early Marshall tones with a bit more gain. Anyway, should be great for Gilmour and lots of other classic tones. I’m using Weber Thames 80″ with my Reeves Custom 50. They’re super clean and fairly bright, so if you want a darker tone for your distortions and tube overdrive you might want to look into some lower wattage mid rangy stuff like the Vintage 30, Heritage series and similar. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn, I’m looking for an amp to play music of Pink Floyd and camel.
They are two different sounds I now, but what do you think can be a good alternative.
I want to play at home and rehearse with friends just for fun.
Thank you very much!
Cheers
Richard
[Of the ones listed here, I’d probably go for the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe or Peavey Classic 30. The latter is probably your best choice. If you can afford a bit more, then the Laney Lionheart is a great amp. – BJorn]
Hey Bjorn,
Long time follower of your site, thanks for putting so much effort into your Gilmour research.
Just a quick question regarding budget amps. I have a chance to buy a Peavey Classic 30 for $650 (new) or $450 (used). The used one is 5 years old but it comes with a foot switch. I am very much interested in a Laney Cub 12r as well, seeing all the great comments about it here (and watching your review and vids featuring the amp). I can grab the Laney Cub 12r online for around $399 (but there is a $75 shipping cost on top of this, as I live in Canada and have to order the Laney Cub from the US unfortunately).
Which of these two amps would you recommend? I play largely at home, and may occasionally take the amp to jams/gigs once in a while (audience of ~50 max). In terms of that Hiwattish sound as well as the ability to handle a fair number of pedals, which amp would deliver best?
Cheers.
[Hi Ege! I’d go for the Classic 30. The Cub is a great amp with a Hiwatt-ish character but I would’t recommend it for anything else than bedrooms and home practice. The speakers aren’t all that the construction isn’t what I’d trust for the road. The Classic 30 is rugged and has a much better construction and parts. The tone is somewhere between a Hiwatt and AC30. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn, I’ve been working/putting together my David Gilmour Strat clone with the CS69’s in the neck & middle pickups and SD SSL-5 in the bridge. So, while I’ve been working on it, I’ve been thinking about getting an amp that will match up the best with the later Gilmour sounds from his Albert Hall and Live in Gdansk, which are right at the top of my favorite tones.
I currently use a 70’s Twin Reverb and a Marshall Bluesbreaker, which works well for alot of the stuff I play, but I wanted to get your opinion on which amps will get me more in the neighborhood of his later work. Two amps that keep coming up in my research is the Hiwatt Custom 50 and the Reeves Custom 50, which could be overkill at home and in the small music halls I play in, but with the smaller amps seeming to having more of a Marshall sound, which I already have.
Really enjoy your site, you’re doing a top notch job. Thanks
[Hi Mike! Between the two, I’d go for the Reeves. You don’t get any closer to the old Hiwatts than that. But, as you say, it’s way too much for bedrooms. I use mine at rehearsals and smaller 300-500 seats clubs though and it works fine. Other than that you might want to look into Suhr or Hook, for same tone family. – Bjorn]
Hello, and many thanks for your great site !
What do you think of the Peavey Delta Blues (based on the classic 30, but with a 15′ speaker) for gilmourish tones ?
Thank you ! Greeting from France !
[I haven’t tried it so I can’t really tell. My experience with 15″ speakers for guitar is that they tend to get a bit flabby in the lower end but again, I can’t tell about this one. – Bjorn]
I saw that you included the Bugera V22 in your amps. I remember when I asked you about it before to buy one. Sounds fucking great!!!
Greeting from Argentina.
Gastón
Hey Bjorn. Love the Blues jr. settings. It was a game changer as I had the preamp volume way too high and the treble way off as well. Sounds great with the Musket. Can’t wait til’ I get off work so I can rock the London Fuzz and Catlinbread Echoric through it. This website absolutely rules and like I’ve said in the past, I’d be lost without your direction. Most people tend to hide tone secrets. Well let there be light.
Dreamy Tone. Can not believe it’s coming from my room. New car, caviar. Thank you kindly.
[Glad to hear Bo! Shine On! – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn, thanks for this great site! I was happy with my Laney Cub 12R until it started dying after a few minutes of play (home practice). Currently I can only play about 2 minutes before it turns off by itself. According to some forums they had a bad run of Polyswitch thermal fuses which turn off the amp once they get hot. If someone asked me I wouldnt be able to recommend this line due to quality control issues. Anyone else having this problem?
[Never had the problem my self and I leave the amp on for hours and push it really hard. It’s not the most relieable amp constructionwise but very few of the low price tube amps are. Parts and assembly are compromised for getting tuibe tones within an affordable price point. I’d never gig or tour with it but it holds up nicely in a studio and it sounds pretty good too :) – Bjorn]
Hej Bjorn, I’m looking for a new amp that is able of some serious Gilmour tones, preferably a low wattage head because i already own a Zillacab 2×12.
Can you recommend the Reeves Custom 18 or 30, or are they more marshall orientated?
Otherwise I will be looking at the Fender Blues Junior (Humboldt), but it would be sad if my 2×12 would be forced to rot in a corner.
Thank you four keeping up this great homepage :)
[The lower wattage Reeves are more Marshall than Hiwatt. You should be able to get some very nice Gilmour tones with them as well but you might want to look into something else. I have a Laney Lionheart L20H myself that I’m very fond of. Not quite Hiwatt but somewhere between a Bassman and AC30 I think… I haven’t had the time to explore that segment yet so I can’t really suggest much more… – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn, great website. Love it. I’m thinking about buying a laney amp, should I get the 12 or the stack, just for my basement. Thanks, Josh
[Thanks! I’d get the stack. It’ll give you more headroom for your pedals and the 1w scaling will work nicely for your bedroom or basement. – Bjorn]
Thanks Bjorn. Great explanation and great website. Keep up the good work.
[Thanks Tom! – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
I’d like to know if the Laney Cub Cab does give you entire satisfaction. I mean, Is it a strong
X 12 ” Cab? made out of the right woods? I’m asking because I’m about to oder a great custom 2 X 12″ cab form Zillacabs…. Would it be a great combination with The Laney Cub head I own, or would you recommend to stick to the Standard Cub cab made to pair with the head?
all the best,
Uwe
[The Cub is a great practice and bedroom amp but nothing more. In my opinion at least. I would never take it on the road. The wood and construction of both the cab and head is fragile and the pots and electronics isn’t something I would trust for a tour. I have used it quite a lot for recording, the head especially, and it’s definitely capable of producing some very nice tones and a basis for my pedals. There are lots of high quality cabs on the market, many of witch are offered with custom measurements. I would go for one of them if you plan on touring. – Bjorn]
Hey there, nice section I love it! Just a suggestion maybe, it would be nice to also have a score for each amp like you do in the other sections (pedals for instance). Also, I suppose Reeve’s amp could be added in the list too?
Thanks a lot and good work again!
[Thanks! The Reeves is definitely recommended but the idea was to present budget amps and amps suitable for bedroom setups. I didn’t put scores on these because each amp serve different purposes and tones. Depends entirely what you’re looking for some there’s none of these that are perfect or bad. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorne,
I wish I found your site earlier. I’m a novice and I just purchased a Marshall Class 5 head with a Avatar cabinet with a 30 watt Celestion G12H30 70th Year Anniversary special speaker (more headroom). I haven’t received the cabinet yet but is this going to be a good foundation to build a Gilmour tone? I saw above that Marshall isn’t preferred. Why?
I wanted a low wattage tube amp for home use or with friends at rehearsal. I will be using a BYOC large beaver, BD-2 keeley mod (boost), tech21 analog delay, EH chorus and maybe a keeley compression somewhere.
I’ve been devouring your site for information. Any guidance from you or your readers would be much appreciated.
All the best
[Modern Marshalls are not something I’d recommend for David’s tones. They don’t have a good enough clean tone and they sound too aggressive for some of the typical Gilmour pedals. It does not mean that you can’t use them but there are more suitable amps on the market. Older Marshalls are very different. The early JTM and JCM seires are very similar to the Hiwatts and some of the Fenders. There works nicely. The Class 5 has a great tone and you should be able to set it up for a nice clean basis as well. You might struggle with the headroom in a band situation but raise the cab a meter or so off the ground and you should be able to hear it better. – Bjorn]
Hi there
thanks keith and bjorn
the only problem i have now is even more amps to choose from so with budget of £200
i am back to square 1 i am swaying towards laney cub 12 but if there is any other amps i am missing that would be better i am open to suggestions or should i just buy the cub 12 and get on with it.
p.s i would like peoples opinion on boss gt8 or few pedals (i was going to sell boss gt8)
[I think the Cubs are great and I know Keith swears by the Ibanez TS. Most amps in this price range is fairly similar, so I don’t think you can go wrong. – Bjorn]
Would it be possible when you have some time to
Give us some gilmourish settings for the bugera v22
Fantastic to see your sensational web page up again
Thanks
[Hi Brett! Clean channel, volume 5-7, master as desired, bass 4-5, treble 4, middle 4-6, presence 5. You could also try setting the treble at around 3 and the presence at 7-8. This adds a bit more bite to your tone but you may also experience some fizzy overtones on your gain. Tweak around these setting to match your pedals and guitar. – Bjorn]
Is that with mid boost on or off?
Good evening,
Could you let us know your Blues Jr. Settings please and thanks. Much appreciated. Have a great night.
[Hi Bo! I usually go with this… : volume between 1-3, treble 4, middle 5, bass 5, master as desired. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn! Glad to see your website back again! :-D
Rapid question dude: what about the new Fender Excelsior amp?
Ever put your hands on one?
Cheers!
[Thanks! I wouldn’t recommend it for Gilmour’s tones or a band setup but it’s a really cool amp for practice. Very loud and surprisingly lots of headroom. – Bjorn]
Hi dude!
I´m searching for an amp, and i´ve seen additionally Fender HRDIII three more possibilities:
Koch studiotone
Koch twintone II
Hughes & Kettner statesman quad el84
Have you ever played any of these amps? What do you think about them?
Thanks men!! Great page!!
[Thanks! Never tried any of them… – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
I totaly agree about the Cub 12, a great sounding little amp, many thanks for the tip.
Please, what do you think about the Engl Gigmaster 15? I played it a couple of times and still not sure what to think.
Thank you! Ozzy
[Not really an Engl fan… a bit too dark sounding for my taste but I’m sure you can tweak it for some really nice Gilmour tones. – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn,
What are the tubes used in your Laney Cub head:
I know they are JJ, but which models? 3 X ECC83 – S or ECC82 or ECC81?
2 X EL 84 – 6BQ5?
Regards,
Sebastien
[ECC83S and EL84. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn and many thanks for the replies, you’re a very kind person.
Waiting for your updated budget-rig guide,
I would like to ask you what about the Laney Cub8 for training at home?
Thank you in advance!
[Glad to help :) The Cub8 is a great little amp but you may want to look into one of the bigger models for more headroom. It doesn’t handle Muffs and the typical Gilmour pedals that well. – Bjorn]
Thanks again for your great site and also for taking your time answering all the questions here!
[Thank you Flavio! – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn
Is the laney cub stack louder than the laney cub 12 because it has a extra speaker?
[Yes. Considerably louder and a lot more headroom. – Bjorn]
@ Jay, I have an Ibanez TSA15H, and matching 1×12 cab. Depending on where you live, it may be in stock at your local music store. With a little haggling, you can get this bulletproof, all tube amp, with unlimited clean headroom, great focused tone, and the added advantage of a built in +6db boost, and TS9 TubeScreamer circuit for about $450.00 US new. I have a REEVES Custom 50, but at home, I find myself going for the TSA time after time. It also is switchable between 5, & 15 watts, and has a 5 year warranty!
Cheers, Keith
hi bjorn
im looking to buy a valve amp but im am overwhelmed with choices im only bedroom playing i also have boss gt8 so was thinking of a good little amp 5w or 15w to compliment the boss gt8 these are some amps that i was looking at maybe new or secondhand.
laney cub 10
bugera bc15
fender champion 600
epiphone valve junior?
harley benton ga15
i have looked at so many i forgot half of them so if anyone else can help me the money i have is burning a hole in my pocket all i want s a amp arrrggg
i love this site great work bjorn (my gear classic 70 strat/crybaby/bossgt8/various pedals)
[Thanks! Of the ones you mention, I’d go for the Cub. They’re very clean and transparent, which compliments the Boss GT processor. Cheers! – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
I just picked up a Blues Jr III and was wondering what speaker you recommend putting in it for a gilmourish rig?
Thank you,
Cory
[I’ve only played it with stock speakers. The Weber Thames Ceramic is always a favourite and works nicely on low wattage amps as well. I also think that the classic Celestions like the V30 works nicely on smaller amps. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn, do you have any information about the Peavey Valveking 112?
Thanks!
[Only tried it very briefly. Nice clean channel with rich headroom… similar to the Classic 30. The drive channel is more metal oriented. – Bjorn]
Hi again Bjorn and thank you for the prompt reply.
As I said in the first post, I’m almost a noob at electric guitar: I’m not in a band at the moment and I’m sure I won’t be gigging in short time…
I was actually looking for a cheap tube amp for training at home…
I remember (it’s been at most a month ago) I saw a list of amps under $700 in your site and a factsheet (like the ones above here) about the Fender Champion 600 you suggested as a good amp for practising at home (or on backstage) obtaining good Gilmour tones..
As, by now, the Fender Champion 600 is no longer in the list while you mention the Bugera V5 (in the factsheet about the V22). Since the prices are similar, I would like to know your opinion about how do those two little amps compare and which one is more… Gilmourish ;-)
Many thanks!
P.S.
If you can’t answer here (e.g. for “legal/commercial reasons”), would you please answer me by email? I’d really appreciate! (otherwise, please remove this post-scriptum.)
Hope to hear you soon, ’cause your experience really counts for me. Thank you again.
[Sorry for my late reply. The Champion 600 is a nice little practice amp but with its obvious limitations it doesn’t handle pedals that well. As most of want to use a bunch of pedals I think there are more suited amps on the market. The V5 has a couple more features, which makes it a more versatile amp. Nice tone too. I also recommend checking out the Laney Cub series and the smaller models. Cheers! – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn. Many compliments for your website, I consider it a stronghold for people like me (almost a noob) trying to understand and reproduce Dave Gilmour’s wonderful sound.
I’m concerned with choosing a little tube amp, I noticed you removed the Fender Champion 600 from your list I was wondering why?
I know you’ve been using it for a time, can I know your opinion about how does that amp compares with a Bugera V5?
Many thanks!
[Thanks for your kind words! The Champion 600 is a nice little practice amp but I wouldn’t choose it for band or gigs. It can handle most pedals but it has its obvious limitations so if you want something that’ll produce a solid basis for your tones, you might want to look into something slightly bigger. Check out the lower wattage amps in the guide. – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn,
Great job on your site. One of my daily visits. Because of your advice, last year I sought out a Peavey Classic 30, great amp but definitely loud when running pedals instead of a Line6 HD 500 board that I had. I decided to go with pedals and found a Sovtek Green Big Muff and a TS, CE2, D El. Miss and a DD-20 and the tone is so much better. I was at a club and heard a guy play through a VOX AC30 and thought the tone was killer. I ended up buying a VOX AC30 Handwired with the Blues in them and I know you aren’t fond of them but really liked the tone. Still may get the Blues Jr as well, just like having different amps for the real sound instead of amp simulators. But anyway my point is I actually liked the tone somewhat of the Peavey C30 to my ears in the bedroom compared to the AC30 except when I really crank it. But when playing at bedroom levels and recording, even when playing live the sound of the Peavey was warmer, but when listening back to the recording comparing the two the VOX AC30 actually had a better Gilmorish tone with more separation between the notes, where the C30 sounded muddy. Thought that was very interesting and that sometimes for recording the best sounding amp to your ears, may not be the best sounding amp to the microphone. For reference I used a Seinnheiser e609 on the amp and an Audio Technica AT4040 about a 18 inches in front and the tone was killer. Really cool to turn each one off and on to get different sounds of the mikes.
[Thanks for your kind words and for sharing, Rob! You’re absolutely right about how a tone can change depending on the different situations. I rarely use my Sound City cab for recording. For some reason I can never really capture the tones I hear coming from the cab. Besides, smaller amps are often much easier to mic properly and control in a studio environment. Amps and guitars are a bit like choosing between pedals when you’re recording. I often find my self using very different gear in a studio to obtain the same tones I get on stage… or just for something very different. – Bjorn]
Blackstar HT-1R head incredible range of tones available from these little 1 watt monsters……..
I use in conjunction with a Marshall cab & 1×12 Weber Silver Bell speaker….. I mainly use the clean channel with pedals infront……….
Fantastic low volume amp for home use.
Hello Bjorn ,
what is your opinion on Vht 12/20 special combo . It is a 12 inch speaker combo that you can put either 6v6 or el84 tubes . It is rated either at 12 or at 20 watt ( you can use 6l6 or el34 tubes to make it sound louder ) There is also a version with built in tube reverb and tremolo .
Check it out
http://www.vhtamp.com/products/the-special-series/special-1220-combo
[I haven’t tried them so I can’t really tell. Thanks for the tip! – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn, I was wondering what you recommend for playing at home or jamming with friends: L5T-112, L20H or the Cub-Head.
Thanks,
Cory
P.S. Awesome site!!!
[The L20H is definitely the best of these but way too loud for a bedroom. Gilmourwise, I’d go for the Cub :) – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn,
thanks for all the hard work and the tips you give us with this comprehensive guide! Really appreciate your efforts and love your site!
Nonetheless, just two quick questions: What is the difference (tonewise) between the Hiwatt T20 Head and the Hiwatt Custom 20 Head? Which one would you choose? Sorry if it’s been asked somewhere before.
Also, I don’t have much knowledge about cabinets/ speakers, so excuse a maybe silly quiestion..: http://www.hiwatt.co.uk/products.aspx?cid=27 would these Custom Starfinder Replicas be similar to these WEM-Cabinets David uses? Would they be a good choice?
Thanks a lot and have a nice weekend!
Richard
[Sorry for my late reply, Richard. It’s two different amps I think. The Custom 20 has more of that classic Hiwatt character but it also got an active EQ circuit, which makes it a bit more aggressive sounding. It has lots of headroom but it’s perhaps a more rock oriented amp. The new Tube series are overall great sounding amps with that familiar bright Hiwatt character. It may not be the most rugged amp for touring though… I’ve never tried the Starfinder replicas but I guess they’re OK. They shouldn’t be confused with the old cabs though. – Bjorn]
Thanks for posting it, and very sorry I misspelled your name BJORN! haha
Listen to my fine fingered friend, he’s definitely the expert! (but the tsa15h is a great little amp!)
[Cheers! – Bjorn]
Oh well, I knew you’d expect to hear from me about it’s exclusion, so here’s my one amp budget guide. If you want an amp that is the perfect Gilmourish amp for home, and only have $ 450 to spend, the Ibanez TSA 15H head, and 1×12 cabinet will give you 5, or 15 watts of absolutely crystal clean tube tone. It can be used as a perfect platform for pedals, or with the included TS 9 cicuit, and +6db circuit, you can dial in great ovetdriven sounds with no pedals. I have a brand new REEVES Custom 50 PS, with 2 Thames 80s, and at home, I use the TSA far mire, with great results getting the tones we all shoot for. Unlike the 30 watt combo, the 15 is built like a tank, with chassis mounted, hand wired tube sockets, which means it holds up well to the bumps and knocks amps often take. Having the best in the REEVES, and having played most of the budget amps, I find this no frills, simple tube amp, unbeatable for the price. The tube change from stock to JJs makes more of a difference than even Bjorn can imagine, as I think he’s only played with the stock valves, and I don’t think the best ear would believe the difference without experiencing it! ( No disrespect intended Bjirn!). Do yourself a favor, and check it out if you can. It’s the loudest, cleanest 15 watts I’ve heard in over 30 years of playing.
Peace, Love, and stay away from amps with PC board mouted tube sockets! Keith
[Thanks for the review, Keith! – Bjorn]
Good selection of amps. I’d definitely add the Egnater Tweaker 15 to the list. A tip though to enhance the headroom is to swap out preamp tube 1 with a 5751, and swap the phase inverter for a 12AT7. Couple of affordable tube swaps make a huge difference to the clean sound.
[Thanks for the input! – Bjorn]
Bjorn, thanks so much for all the amazing information. So what is it about the Blues jr that you like so much? I’ve a Tube Driver and it needs pairing with something bedroom friendly…does the Blues Jr fit the bill? Also, what do you think about the Lightning Bolt speaker? Do you have a favorite 12 inch speaker for the Blues Jr to swap out the stock? One more question…is the Blues Jr. your new favorite 12-15watt combo? Are there any modifications besides perhaps speaker that I should consider? Hey man, just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your advice and tips. Frankly, I was so intimidated by making a bad purchase that I went two years just playing straight into my bassman with no effects. Life is fuzzier with fuzz. Thanks for setting us straight. Peace and Pink
[Well, I don’t own one and for my home studio I still prefer the Cub but if I had to get a 1×12″ for smaller clubs etc it would probably be a Jr. It’s rugged and the tone is classic Fender. Hard to tell why you fall in love with a tone but the Jr is incredibly versatile. It handles most guitars and pedals and you can always rely on a great clean tone. The stock Lightning Bolt speaker is quite good but actually, I think I’d get a V30 or something to match the classic tone. – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn, as I sat here checking out the new gear guide, I originally saw a comment asking about the HiWatt 20vs The Lionheart I believe, then it disappeared. Also, because of the quality issues I dealt with from 3 consecutive TSA30 combos, I can understand it’s exclusion, Hiwever, the 15 is bulletproof, and has unlimited clean headroom, so I was very disappointed to see you didn’t include it. Is it just that you haven’t completed the Amps under $700.00? I assume you are at this very moment working on the site, thus the disappearance of the post, and the error page popping up when I tried to go to the budget gear section 2 or 3 times in a row. Just checking, as I still use the 15H at home, and with good tubes, it sounds very close when dialed in, to the tones I can achieve with my Reeves. I’d be really disappointed to see it excluded. I’ve played most of the budget amps, and the TSA15 H, may not have a lot of bells, and whistles, but for pure clean tube sound, I think it’s at the top of the under $700.00 list. Glad you’re adding to the site more invaluable information. Thank you for your time, and effort.
Peace my friend, Keith
[The old budget section should be up now. I was expecting a comment from you regarding the TS15, ha ha! It’s a fine amp but I thought about it and decided I wanted to include a variety of amps and also not too many, as it will only confuse. The TS15 sounds a bit too much like many of the other mnodels, apart from its TS circuit of course. Perhaps I’ll feature it in a future update. This new guide has replaced the $700 guide. Cheers Keith! – Bjorn]
I have a Fender Mustang I. I know there are presets and pedals on that, but its too artificial sounding. Will the amp itself be good for what I’m trying to get at (Meddle to Division Bell)?
If you know anything about which preset is which, can you explain which one imitates a Hiwatt the best?
Thanks!
[I don’t have any experience with the Mustang, so I can’t really comment on it. Anyone else here care to help? – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn,
Could you please tell us what is the “transparent booster” you put in the effects loop (boosting the output stage) of your laney cub when using the 1 W channel?
thank you and Happy new year !
[Happy new year, Christophe! You can use any booster that has a transparent or so-called mids-scooped tone. The Boss BD2, TC Spark Booster, Electronic Orange Bananaboost, ThroBak Overdriveboost etc. You can also use an EQ like the FlexWaves EQ7. Pedals with lots of mid range, like the Tube Screamer, OCD etc doesn’t work as they colour the amp too much. The idea is to boost the output stage of the amp. – Bjorn]
just a quick note – my new Cub 12 Head was delivered today – THANK YOU SO MUCH for turning me onto this amazing amp – what a soulful tone machine! I used your suggested settings as a starting point but seriously – I don’t think it’s possible to dial up a bad sound. Gilmourish yes – but there’s so much more in there too – and it loved all my pedals so the tones are truly limitless. I would type more but my fingers hurt too much from playing!
[Glad to hear Steve! It’s truly a great amp! – Bjorn]
Hey , I have two questions today first off is about an amp head, I found a hiwatt custom7 7w on musicians friend, would this be good for a bedroom setup? And and the second question is about a product I found on the same site,the emg David Gilmour pre wired pick guard/pickup set. So I currently have a bullet squire strat, pretty lame but whatever, would this be a good upgrade to buy for my guitar?
[I haven’t tried the Custom 7 my self so I can’t really comment on that. It should be able to produce some nice Gilmourish tones but again… haven’t tried it. The DG20 set is great for David’s 80s and 90s tones but they doesn’t do vintage and Black Strat tones that well, although it works fine. Depends on what tones you want I guess. – Bjorn]
Happy New Year, Bjorn! Hope this year brings you continued success with Airbag, and of course much Gilmourishness.
Thanks to the good graces of my wife who has allowed me to commandeer half our garage for studio space, I’m out of the headphone-only world (using the Tech 21 Leeds to at least remind me what my tone should sound like) and back to the land of the living. So I’m in the market for a Gilmourish home-studio amp. I know you are working on a new feature on this very subject – but American Music Supply had a Laney Cub Head for US$255 shipped. At that price, I don’t know if there’s really anything that can touch it. Even the promising Super Champ X2 is $50 more – so I pulled the trigger – I’d be VERY surprised if the Cub doesn’t make your top-3 list again this year! Hopefully will come next week.
A question for you – at home, do you typically use the 1W input? Or, since you (and I) keep the amp clean and get most of the drive from pedals, do you find you can use the 15W without the neighbors complaining? Guess I’ll know in a few days, but wanted to get your thoughts on that as a starting point.
[The Cub is definitely one of the best amps in the home/practice category I’ve played. I don’t know if I would have trusted it on the road – most of these smaller, low cost amps have a pretty “fragile” construction – but for playing at home, it’s great. I normally use the 1w and to compensate for some of the loss of mid range and lower end you get on low volume, I’ve placed a booster in the loop boosting the output stage. If you do this be sure to use a transparent booster that’s able to play 100% clean. Cheers! – Bjorn]
Hey Bjorn,
First off I’d like to say I absolutely love your website. This has really helped me get back into guitar about a year or two ago when I discovered, and I’ve been playing non-stop since. Just got a tone related question for the unspoken king of tone on the net. I have a Fender Champ 600, and I just got my Les Paul refitted with Seymour Duncan Phat Cats. I was at the store, and I saw a nice RP500 for sale, so I grabbed it. Its a great unit, and when tweaked right you can get some really nice tones out of it. Only problem is, the Hiwatt amp sim is pretty sub-par. Im sure I could tweak it with EQ, but it’ll still sound a little muddy and compressed. So what should I do, bypass the amp sim and just use my regular amp? Or try to tweak it? Thanks a lot, cheers mate.
[Hi Yoel! Thanks a lot for your kind words :) As I’m sure you are aware, the Champ is a bit limited tonewise. It has a great, classic tone but it’s meant to be more of a practice amp than anything else. Using amp sims, to get the tones you want, might be a good idea but keep in mind that these are just another effect and created using specific gear. We expect the Hiwatt to sound like Gilmour but his Strats, amp settings and effects are what makes his Hiwatt sounds. A sim might be created using different guitars, microphones, effects etc… Just something to keep in mind. Anyway, try setting up the Rp500 for a bypassed tone. I don’t have any experience with it but switch off any sims and effects and set the masters and global volume (if there is one) to match the signal you get when you just plug the guitar straight into the amp. This should be the basis for all your sounds. Try adding effects ontop of the 600 and try out different amp sims and cabs to see if that helps. You might realise that you may need to use a whole different setup than what you’d expected. See this feature for more. – Bjorn]
Have you tried out the ampeg GVT series? I have been researching the amp but have heard of quality issues with this amp and wanted to hear what you had to say. I also was researching the laney cub and also found quality issues with it as well. Have you had any issues with it? Can you try to point me in the right direction with a quality built good sounding amp that can be about $700? Thank you very much. – G
[Never tried the GVT. I guess most of these low priced amps has some issues. Some players may have been unlucky with a specific factory fault but to keep the costs down, there will be some compromises and not all of these feature the best parts available. The most common issues are loose jacks, scratchy pots, bad connection in the tube sockets etc. I haven’t had any problems with my Cub. I’ve used it daily since I got it three years ago and it’s operating perfectly. I also have good experience with the Peavey Classic 30 and Fender Blues Jr. – Bjorn]
I have been looking at this website almost every day and it has helped me a lot with my recent guitar related purchases. I love this review and am very happy that you have put all this information online. However, I have been in the market for an amp with David’s tone to use on stage more than during practice, and I don’t have the budget to get a Hiwatt. If you could put together a guide of amp stacks that sound good but don’t cost as much as Hiwatts, I would deeply appreciate it.
[I’m working on an update of this guide. It’ll be up soon :) – Bjorn]
I recently tested the Marshall DSL15C and it’s great!! It’s versatile and it has a very “fat” sound. The classic gain channel is just sweet for any clean PF songs but with an overdrive/distorsion added is perfect even for the other songs.
[Thanks for the tip! – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
To repeat other comments on here thank you so much for putting so much time and effort into this great resource.
Off your recommendation I went looking for new practice amp in Shanghai. Unfortunately this choice is very limited here and there was no Fender champion on Laney Cube available.
I ended up with a Vox ac4tv. It’s a similar small valve amp with a 3 stage switchable output level. Put a mxr carbon copy and phase 90 in front of it and it’s gorgeous.
I’m also using a Blackstar Ht Dual for overdrive. I bought this because it has 2 channels and can give a consistently warm overdrive tone through any random valve or transistor amp that you find in the clubs and bars here in Shanghai.
Thanks again,
Justin
[Thanks for your kind words Justin and congrats on your setup! – Bjorn]
Well i couldn’t find it in the other comments. But what tubes are you working with in the CUB?
I might imagine you went for some ECC83S JJ’s, but i’m not sure if you have them in the PI/v1 position as well? And i can’t find anything for powertubes either. So hit us up with your tube selection for this lovely amp! :)
[There’s three ECC83 and two EL84s, all JJs. I think my head came with TAD’s, which is a bit too bright and aggressive for my taste. – Bjorn]
I mean which would you recommend I buy?
Hi Bjorn,
Im considering buying either a Laney Cub12 or a second hand Blues Junior but Im not sure which to buy. I noticed the Blues Junior dose not have a FX loop and i’m not sure if this matters that much. Which would you buy? Great site by the way :)
[Depends on how you’ll be using the amp. The Cub is great for playing at home, studio and band rehearsal but it might be a bit too small for gigging. The Blue Jr works nicely for both home and gigging. The effects loop is meant to be used for modulations and delays, if you intend to utilize the amp’s gain stage. If not, you don’t need it. – Bjorn]
Thanks Bjorn,
Good advice as always. So happens I have a friend at Fender UK so can get the Jnr at a good rate but still too much at the moment. Maybe I have to think again. Am expecting to gig about 3 times a month with audiences of 100-350 with an excellent bunch of pros. I know I have to spend the money in the long term but now I have to try and sell my Phil Jones Bass amp to cover some of the new cost. Guess it’s a case of “all good things come to those who wait” Will beg, borrow and steal till then. Thanks for sorting my mind out a little better.
[Well, I think that will pay off in the long run :) Good luck with your band! – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
Great stuff and much needed. Advice please.
I have been toying with either the Cub or the Blues Jnr for small gigs. I use a Tele and an Epiphone Casino and like a nice clean sound (sort of JJ Cale style) and am a little worried that the Cub won’t give me as much headroom and volume as the Junior on stage……However the Junior is a little too rich for my pocket at the moment, especially here in Southern Italy. Would you think that if I got the Cub and upgraded the speakers (as you suggest) in a few months (when I can find the extra bucks) it would bring the volume and headroom closer to that of the Blues Jnr. Thanks for your sage advice.
[A stock Cub is perhaps a bit too light on the headroom for gigging. I think you at least need to get the stack and replacing the two speakers with higher wattage ones, will help a lot. I have two Weber Thames 80w in mine and it’s got tons of headroom. The Blues Jr is a great amp and if you do gig a lot, I would consider this over the Cub. The overall quality and build is much better and will stand more abuse on the road. Its also got more headroom and volume. Depends on your budget and how long you’re willing to wait, I guess :) – Bjorn]
I must say that I would miss my Classic 30. They can be temprimental though, the power tube heater circuit being the most problematic due to heat. I have added more wiring to help this out.
Also, the valve bases get worn out (probably over annealed due to heating and cooling) but I have replaced mine and now the amp is a lot more reliable. Other mods I have done (that I would recommend) are swopping out the stock speaker for a Celestion Gold and having a Torroidal Transformer wound to reduce hum in Single coils.
I agree that the FX loop is prone to “earth loop” type hum (no matter where you try lifting the earth / or not) and the overdrive channel is not very useful. Also, the boost switch sucks.
A GREAT little amp that can deliver a classic Gilmour tone at medium (to loud) volumes in small venue.
Hello Bjorn and all:
I must admit I have read many responses here on this thread but not all. I have perused most of the other sections though. Any thoughts on a Fender Super Champ XD (sorry if it has been asked before) and tone settings for it? I am looking for mid 70’s Time and Money tones and also Shine on intro tones.
I am an older guitar player getting back into things and have recently reacquired my long lost 68 Tele back form the best friend I sold it back in 1980 or so. It is like becoming reacquainted with an old friend. The body (quite possibly a ’58) was refinished by my friend, a cabinet maker by trade, in a period white and has faded to a lovely hue. The neck is definitely 68 and has really seen it’s share of work and wear though the frets are fine and the Maple neck straight and true. It was converted to a DeMarzio super Humbucker in the neck position with a coil tap switch between tone and volume pots.
As of now have a stock a 71 Silverface Vibro-champ in addition to the a Super Champ XD.
I realize I am a hack of a player now but it is one of my “gotta do before I die” list items to get the TONE, the VOICE of those magical years (Meddle, DOSTM, WYWH and the first solo album years and with more years behind than in front of me I am trying. I am not not looking for a anything more than personal enjoyment and a feeling of attaining a goal for now…
As a side note: Back in June, 1975 I went to may first Pink Floyd Concert in Pittsbugh, Pa, USA. I passed on ALL other bands as I wanted my “virgin” concert experience to be Pnk Floyd. Yeah, I know pretty stupid missing prime Zep, Stones and all the others of the day but I PROMISED my self this was the way it would be…
I hope to acquire or build another Strat ( my first was built back in 1979, Koa body and a new 1970’s OEM neck, OEM bridge set in Brass, ikk I know, and a DeMarzio FS in the bridge and fender period P/U’s in the neck and mid positions). Like an azz, I sold it to finance a move to Colorado. Wish like hell I still had that guitar!
Sorry for the blah, blah, blah but I am now disabled and have LOT”S of time to re-enter guitar playing and am open to ANY constructive criticism of where to go from here and am ramping up my efforts to get back to my former less suckiness.
I also want to take the time to thank you and ALL the contribtors for this website and the massive amount of time and effort put into it. Thank’s to all for the your patience with another “re-noob” from several decades back and I look forward to hearing any thing on my quest…
Be safe and best wishes to all in the coming New Year
Patty
[Hi Patty! Sorry for my late reply. Thanks for your comment and for sharing your stories :) The Champ XD is quite OK with a classic Fender tone and some nice amp simulation effects on hand. The new X2 is perhaps even closer to the old Fenders. Depending on your budget, I’d also check out other amps, like the Laney CUB series, the Fender Blues Jr or the Bugera V series. I think these will give you more tone for the buck but that’s just my opinion. Let me know if you need more help :) – Bjorn]
HelloBjorn!!!
First, I wanted to headshot your page on the internet and for the great work that you do so that we can all a little to the wonders that makes this great master who is David Gilmour.
I have a fender amplifier. This is a fender twin amp 100. The twin has 2 channels but only one entry. The channel 1 (clean) has volume, treble, middle and bass. The channel 2 (distortion) has gain, treble, middle, bass and volume. The twin has a button to select between channel 1 (clean) and channel 2 (distortion).
My query is:
how should I set my amplifier?
Must I use channel 1 or channel 2 (don’t forget that only has one input and a button to select 1 or 2)???
Which values should i set the volume, bass, meddle, gain (if i have to use the channel 2) and treble???
I await your response.
Thank you again for your website, and MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR ……… MY GREETINGS ARE FROM ARGENTINA!
[Thanks for your kind words, Daniel! Sorry for my late reply. It’s always hard to suggest settings because how you should set the amp, depends on several factors, like what guitar, pickups and pedals you’re using, in what environment you are playing (home, studio, stage etc) and what tones you are looking for. In general, for David’s tones, I’d use the clean channel. The idea is a to set up a powerful, warm clean tone for your pedals. See this feature for some tips. – Bjorn]
one more question please
Matchless dc 30 or vox ac 30?
[I’ve never done a comparison so it’s hard to suggest anything. Depends on what tones you want. The Vox is a classic but perhaps a bit more aggressive sounding than the Matchless. I think I’d go for the Matchless. – Bjorn]
what do you think about Matchless DC 30 amp?
I have a classic player 50s with cs69 pickups
Besides pink floyd i like to play blues
sorry for bad english
greeting from Montenegro(ex-yugoslavia)
[It’s a very versatile amp with great cleans for your pedals. The tone is very transparent and dynamic. The amp responds incredibly well with your playing. – Bjorn]
In know this is a bit above $700 but has anyone tried the Italian-made Valve Bimbo 105 for Gilmour sounds at low volume?
[Never tried it… – Bjorn]
I just got a Fender Superchamp X2. It is amazing! Great budget tube amp with digital effects and voicing! Super for Gilmour tones.
[Thanks for the tip! – Bjorn]
HelloBjorn,
Are you going to update the article with reviews from The Ibanez TSA 15 , the Laney Lionheart, and other amps?
Best regards,
Julian
[Working on it :) – Bjorn]
Would a Boss ME-70 be good for David’s tones?
[I’m sure it would. I don’t have any particular experience with the unit but you should be able to cover most of his tones with it. See this feature for some tips on setting up digital multi processors. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn
Would you recommend the White Horse 60w Tube 4×8 amp?
[I haven’t tried it so I can’t really comment on that. Based on the clips I’ve heard it sounds OK but again… – Bjorn]
Thanks for your input, as always.
I had pretty much decided to go Deluxe after I placed that post, and your input kind of confirmed my instincts.
The way I look at it, the DRRI is such a legendary and universally used and appreciated and versatile amp, with it’s resale value pretty strong, that I can’t ever imagine myself saying, “Dang! I wish I never bought this Deluxe Reverb Reissue!”
Question — since an amp like the Deluxe doesn’t have an effects loop, how do delays sound in front of the preamp? How bout when you’re really pushing the amp for some grit? Am I going to wish I had a loop between the pre and post to put delays?
Many thanks!
Brad
[You can push the tubes for a real punchy clean tone and the delay will sound clean. Crank it for a mild overdrive and it still works nicely. Full tube distortion will sound a bit weird with delays but a lot of guitarists have utilized the effect including Page. So heat the tubes but use distortion pedals if you need full blast with delays. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn,
I really enjoy your site. You recently posted Gilmourish settings for various amps, I was hoping you would have included the Fender Bassman Reissue (combo), is there any chance you could provide sample Gilmourish setting for this amp.
Thank-you
[Most of the settings listed should work nicely but you need to make adjustments for your guitar, pedals, playing and your playing. David usually keep the mids and treble fairly low with a high presence. Add more mids if you play at low volume levels. – Bjorn]
Bjorn, Have you played a Peavey Delta Blues? Do you think the 15 inch speaker is good for Gilmour? Some say the sound is huge and tight, with surprising highs and lows, while others caution that a 15 in a guitar amp will be flabby in the bass and muddy (quite opposite opinions, actually).
Bear in mind I would be running this with my 10″ Vibratone rotating speaker giving the whole sound some “swirl.”
I’m contemplating the DB over a Fender Deluxe Reverb. Even though the Fender is considerably more, I could get either. I imagine the Delta Blues will have even more clean headroom than the Deluxe, but with the extra cab and my Colorsound Powerboost, I should still be able to get the tubes to that sweetspot without getting TOO loud, no?
I had a Crate V30 that was great but I think the OT just went. I’ve been tempted to get a Fender DRRI for a long time, because the sound with a Strat is very sweet, very distinctive, and nearly impossible to get without the combination of a fender amp and single coils. However, a lot of people have that tone, as great as it is. I’m starting to think I am more a fan of the tightness and warmth of the clean channel on an amp like the Crate V30, which was often compared to the Classic 30, and had the same tube compliment. Although I’ve never heard a Hiwatt live, I imagine the sound you’ve described as falling into this camp versus the spongier, spanky (though very clear) Fender sound.
I played briefly though a Peavey Delta Blues when it came into my music store, and I remember liking it, but wasn’t at the time in the fram of mind to tirelessly A/B it with a Deluxe for the purpose of Gilmour tone! Haha.
I’m starting to feel I might really like this combination of punchy loud 15″ with rotating 10″ cab, and it might be relatively “unique.” I just don’t want to end up with a flabby bottom end and which I should I have just ponied up the cash and gotten the “safer” time-honored Deluxe.
So…specifically, which amp? Haha, no pressure. And more generally, thoughts on 15s? Keep in mind I’ll be using the leslie and the powerboost.
Thanks again for such a great site!
Brad
[Hi Brad. Sorry for the late reply. You need to decide for your self. A boring answer, I know, but apart from the fact that you need to choose the tone you like the most it’s also a matter of which amp that works best with your guitar, effects, playing and how you’ll be using it. I’m you know all this. My experience with 15″ on guitars is that although they have lots of headroom – depending on the amp of course – they do get flabby in the lower frequencies and the upper region doesn’t quite cut through. A 12″ will be more focused, balanced and dynamic. A 10″ might be thinner but works great for classic tones, blues etc. I prefer 12″ with large magnets for maximum headroom and that classic fat, punchy tone. I haven’t tried the DB but from seeing a few clips I would have to go for the Fender I think. Just my personal opinion. – Bjorn]
back again.. I would like your advise please. I can’t decide between a Fender super champ xd and the Laney Cub12R. I can get both of them at the same price. I can not play a guitar as yet, so have difficulty testing them in a shop. An added problem is that both are sold by competitor resellers, so I can not test them side by side. They both sound good to me in store. The SD has a few effects built in, that could be good to learn with, but could these also be limitting in the future? The Laney being the opposite. I am currently leaning towards the Laney, but by the sounds of it, I will need effects pedals before I can get close to the Gilmour tones. The link I posted earlier shows an XD supoosedly playing staright? For the long term what would you suggest.
[Hi Norm. I would definitely go for the Laney. The Fender does have a couple of featured effects that will allow you to dial in some decent Gilmour tones but you’re buying an amp here and it pays off planning ahead. The Laney will provide great tube tones for years and you can build your tone with stand alone pedals along the way. That’s my two cents anyway. – Bjorn]
im currently caught between a laney lionheart l20h head and a reeves custom 12 head, there both roughly the same volume (if not i already own an attenuator :) ) , i seem to like the lion heart more but david gilmour useas a hiwatt custom 50… what would you recommened?
[Teh Lionheart is somewhere between a Bassman and a AC30. Lots of headroom from the clean channel and a super fat crunch channel. I recently bought this amp for studio work and I’m very pleased with it. The Custom 12 is based on the old Marshalls, the JTM45 in particular so it musn’t be confused with being a low wattage Hiwatt. Depending on the speaker wattage you should be able to get the headroom you need but if you’re seeking Gilmour’s tones, I think you’re better off with the Laney. – Bjorn]
Hello Bjorn,
This is a two year old thread, and almost exactly two years ago I did mention I had my heart set on a Marshall Class 5 as a bedroom amp. Well, after being put off by the infamous rattling problem of the Mark I, I eventually bought a Mark II last week and so far so good. The new model does not rattle and also has low power (1w) switch that allows you to either play a tube amp at very low level, crank it to a ‘bluesbreaker’/tweed overdrive without breaking windows or use a pair of headphones. For a home player like myself it is great. I am still getting to know the amp, but I have tried it also with my pedals (throbak, phase90, dynacomp, memory toy, mxr classic fuzz, etc.) and it can get quite gilmourish, in spite of being a Marshall. Some say it has a dark tone, but I find its low end a plus for a small 5 watt amp. The problem with small amps is that they sound too boxy, but not the Class 5, it is a true vintage sounding amp and is versatile too for blues, Hendrix, Clapton, SRV. I am not saying is better than anything else, but just wanted to throw it in just for sharing.
I do have a little problem though, but not related to the Model, I think. It is quite noisy without the guitar plugged in, a hiss that gets louder with volume. However when I engage the 1w switch is perfectly silent. I am not sure if it depends on a valve needing replacement or if it has to do with my home power supply. I did not notice the problem in the shop when I bought it. Any ideas?
[Could be a number of things and it depends on the kind of hiss you’re hearing. It could be the tubes (unlikely), transformers (very unlikely) or electrical interference from components in or outside of your house. This would be amplified when you plug into the full scale wattage. Try another power circuit in your house (make sure it’s a different circuit and not just an outlet) and switch off any nearby computers, TVs, lights, fridges etc. If this doesn’t help, I’d take the amp to a tech and have him measure the tubes and the current flow. – Bjorn]
Thanks for the advice, I’ll be sure to check a couple of models out, and your site is great. Thanks for the time and research you have dedicated.
[Thanks! Good luck with the search! – Bjorn]
hi martin,
thanks for the information!
my setup is generally based on a good clean sound. i consider trading my marshall vintage modern for one of these, although i love it. its just a very versatile amp! can you do some other things than “gilmouring” with the t40? at the moment im playing floyd and chili peppers mostly, but im always interested in new stuff. if the t40 cant handle that i would have to wait till i can afford it without selling the marshall..
hardwired = handwired … sorry for the typo
hi paul!
i tried the hiwatt t40 – it is a new full tube amp (not hardwired and not made in the uk). the build quality was very good.
the clean channel sounds like a typical hiwatt – i could not hear much difference to the custom ones (could not a/b them).
but i really did not like the second channel – it was a bright fuzzy tone and you could not tame it. btw you can not patch the two channels.
tried some pedals in front of the amp (clean channel) – sounded good to me.
you can switch the t40 from 40 watt to 20. nice for playing at home (still loud!) or a small gigs.
conclusion: a nice amp (much more cheaper than the custom ones or the reeves) if you want to use the clean channel with pedals. maybe someone likes channel two – i could not stand it.
You should really take a look on the new Hiwatt Tube Series. I also wrote you a mail about this, you didnt answered yet, but maybe some commenter one your site has played one and can share some informations.
[I will! Thanks for the tip! I haven’t had the time to look at your mail yet. Sorry. – Bjorn]
Hi Paul!
I just bought a hiwatt t20 HD and i love it! I’m comming from Marshall amps witch are very well knowned for their distortion and low headroom.
I’m running it thru a marshall 2×12 cab with 2x25w greenbacks with pedals that Bjorn suggest here.
It’s a loud amp!! it’s only 18w with switch for 10w.
I play alone at home at low volumes ( i switch to 10w) and in a studio were i can play louder ( 18w), and for the first time i really can hear the real sound of my guitar and pedals! I love this amp! It’s sounds to me like a very clean, cristal amp with a very good reverb.
I play with the clean channel and it’s very good, the od channel i didn’t play many times so i dont have much an opinion. For distortion i just use the marshall.
Probably there are others amps more affordable and even better, but if you decided for this one you wont regret.
That’s my modest opinion.
Cheers.
Joao bicudo
I forgot to mention, despite this being a room setup, I am able to play it insanly loud, my current normal adio setup I have plays loud enough to hear from several houses down-literaly.
Okay, I cant decide on anything. Currently, Im looking into going into electric guitar as a serious hobby, and am GREATLY obssed with early Floyd sound, from syd, and the early singles he made, to david around the time before they startred darkside (though Im into ALL floyd). I sorta was given a cheap squire strat, but thats all. I am looking somewhere under a 900 dollar price range, for the whole set of things, this could include new pickups, to pedles, which I would like to get at least a couple. Im also going to probebly end up getting a danelectro guitar, since there what syd used at times, and it helps complete my syd craze. I dont even know if this setup is possible, given money level I have set. I already know Im edging towards a fuzz face, and dunlap cry baby, but would i need something in replacment for thee echorec david always used. Im looking at playing stuff that they played live, like interstellar overdrive, fat old sun, cymbaline, not any recent version ethier, the progressive stuff from the 70’s. All advice is useful. please note, that the guitar is going to be cut up and repainted, for the sake of helping test paints, so i can modify my friends other guitars. I need total cost to include literlly everything outside of the cost of the guitar.
[As for the guitar, I think you just need to go to a store and try a couple of different models. Tele, Strat, Danelectro, Les Paul Junior, different copies… anything in that area. You can save a few bucks by choosing a cheaper but probably better sounding fuzz, by going for a clone, like the BYOC Vintage Fuzz or something similar. Most so called boutique makers offers a germanium fuzz for much less than the Dunlop. The hard part is the delay because good sounding delays, and especially that analog tone, will cost you. Depending on how accurate you want to be, I’d say that a TRex Replica is your best choice. Check out EBay for a Deluxe Memory Man or see if your store carries the great MXR Carbon Copy. Hope this helped. – Bjorn]
Any thoughts on a fender super champ xd – check this guy out…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGeWr6dHvFk
[Great clip! – Bjorn]
Id say you have two options here, Build a hiwatt 503 50w, I just know im looking into a dr r103 for somewhre I think between 400 and 700 prebuilt without the cabnet for it or matching cab. I dont have the website on my phone but Bjorn recomended it to me before on here so ill try to find it. Or you buy the fender amp, both are good choises and ive played both using a friends strat with EMG DG20s and stock strats on them in the shops and they both really worked well for me. But as Bjorn allways says it depends on your taste, rig, and how you intend to use it.
Morning Obi-Wan, so now you’ve played the TSA30. I can hardly wait for your review. Any guess as to when the updated guide will be posted? I’m also wondering if you remembered my advice about turning the TS circuit on, obtaining unity volume, and turning the overdrive all the way down. When I stumbled across this, I set the tone, and volume to where it colored the amps tone as little as possible, but for some reason it gave the amp an entirely different character, more HiWattish than the amp sounded without the TS engaged. I guess it just added a bit of very tranparent boost, or maybe I should call it presence. I’m so very interested in your opinion of the amp, although being an owner, it’s my opinion that really should matter most to me. I personally couldn’t find another amp at that, or any price under $1000.00 that comes close IMHO.
WAITING WITH BAITED BREATH, PEACE, LOVE, AND ALL THINGS GILMOURISH, KC
[I tried what you recommended and it sounded very nice. I think it sounded better all clean when I added pedals though but that’s taste I guess. The updated Buyer’s Guide is on the “very soon” list :) – Bjorn]
for my bedroom its a vox ac4 class a tube. even this is questionably loud in an apartment. if your bedroom is in the woods, go shred- full stack, 8 million watts, try to get as close to stage sound as you can and wear earplugs.
I’ve had some pretty good success using the Fender reissue “tweeds”. Might be a bit large though depending on your needs.
@ Tony, Bjorn forgot to answer your question, but here’s my two cents eorth. I don’t know 10% of what Bjorn knows, but I’m having great success getting most of David’s tones, both early, and late with a Musket Fuzz, backed up with the fairly new TC electronics Spark Boost. The Musket is a great pedal from mild overdrive, to screaming fuzz, and is easily tamed with the Spark. The best part is, that both pedals are easily obtained, and new, both would cost you about $300.00. I got my Musket in good as new condition for $150.00 US, and the Spark, brand new for I believe $119.00+ tax.
Peace, Love, and all things Gilmourish, KC
Thanks for that. So the solo on Have A Cigar is distinctly Hiwatt then?
[Again, it’s hard to tell what amp he used on what song and there are no confirmed sources indicating any hard facts, apart from the picture in Phil Tylor’s book from the Shine On recording session. I’m leaning towards a Tele and Hiwatt for Cigar but I’m not sure. – Bjorn]
Hi Bjorn. Just how much of a role would you say the Dual Showman played in David’s actual Wish You Were Here tone or do you feel the Hiwatt dominates his tones on that album? His sound is very
distinct from other LP’s. Can you cite any instances that sound distinctly Dual Shoman or distinctly Hiwatt on that album? On another note, if you had to pick on fuzz muff type pedal that could cover all David’s fuzz tones (The Wall is my Favorite Muff sounds and DSOTM and Pompeii are my favorite Fuzz Face sounds) what would you choose or recommend? I truly value your opinion and suberb ears. Sincere thanks, Tony
[Hard to tell what he used on each song but sounds to me that most of Shine On 1-9 were recorded with the Dual. The rhythm parts and the funky stuff under the slide solo etc are very Dual-ish. The reason he’s tones are different from Dark Side and Animals could be a number of things… He mostly used the same setup but mic placements, effects and studio mixing will all have an effect on the tone. – Bjorn]