Comments on: 10 Classic Guitar Amps & The Songs That Made Them Famous

By: Jim Ryan

Jim Ryan — Sat, 25 Jul 2020 00:25:40 +0000

Great article, great amps. Love articles about amps, they help us all create the crazy sounds we pump out. Just noticed that Dick Dale’s pictured Showman is not a 1965. In 65 Showman were black face with silver sparkle grill cloth, no presence knob and a molded badge. the one pictured is either a late 62, or an early 63; brown face,flat logo, wheat grill cloth and presence knob.

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By: Phildo

Phildo — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 22:17:29 +0000

What about the Dumble amps Santana played?

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 12:59:08 +0000

Ok guys and gals… The title of the article is “10 Classic Guitar Amps”, not the “10 Most classic guitar amps of all time according to God”.

I, for one, appreciate your choice of The Edge as ONE of the artists who made the AC30 famous…

Nice article and pics, thank you.

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By: andrew evans

andrew evans — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 23:07:19 +0000

I dont agree with some of these . , Marshall super lead : Jimi Hendrix, he did it first … , the Ac30 : Brian May …. , Eric Clapton fender super champ …… SRV fender Bassman ..

nice article tho .. keep trying ..

By: Stevie

Stevie — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 15:14:34 +0000

Lists like these are always going to be subjective from the writers point of view.

I dont ever think of U2 when I think about the AC30 – I think of the Beatles and the Stones. They made the amp famous when “the edge” (what a pretentious wanker of a name) was still an idea in his daddies balls.

So there’s that, and then there’s the fact that one of the greatest amps of all time and the mover of an entire genre was’nt mentioned.

The Fender Twin Reverb, and the whole entire Blues Genre (not to mention country rock) is giving you dirty looks right about now.

This is a list exclusively comprised of white dudes, half of which I dont even think about when thinking about the amps they supposedly made famous.

But like I say, it’s all subjective, it’s your article, they are your opinions and they are not law, so it’s not like its a big deal (lmfao, he said whilst making it a big deal)

By: Rob

Rob — Sun, 25 Sep 2016 01:05:45 +0000

wOw. Great fun here And comments. Can you do one for us bass players too!! This really is pretty amazing

By: Stephen

Stephen — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 19:22:35 +0000

What happened to the ROLAND JC-120?

By: tom hartman

tom hartman — Thu, 12 May 2016 03:31:41 +0000

The Beatles should have been cited for the VOX AC30….no record sounded like “I Want to Hold Your Hand” when it hit the radio with Lennon’s chugging Rickenbacker pounding out the backing.

And Marshall represented by Eddie….not….Jimi?

LOL

By: Malcolm

Malcolm — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 04:36:31 +0000

WRONG ! Brian Setzer Roland Space Echo is a RE-301 ! NOT 201.
The circuts are different on these effects and they don’t sound the same 😉

By: Carlos

Carlos — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 00:35:09 +0000

Before the edge and Brian may, there was Rory Gallagher with a vox ac30 who inspired the sound of the other two.

By: JTL

JTL — Sun, 23 Aug 2015 21:15:37 +0000

I’d like folks to know that Page didn’t crank up the Supro. There was a fuzz unit in front of it. It was recorded at a low volume. I don’t want to give away any more recording secrets, so I” stop now. JTL.

By: ben

ben — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 00:15:25 +0000

well, very good list. I think I counted seven that I own. However, the 5f6 tweed Bassman should be the #1 amp. Used by guys like the Band and John Lennon. As many Fender bass amps did, it turned out to be one of the greatest guitar amps of all time. I also think that a Hiwatt Custom 100 should have made the list. I also agree with the guy that mentioned Magnatone (don’t forget Robert Cray). I own a 280 and believe me, N-O-T-H-I-N-G sounds like it’s stereo vibrato. My JTM45 was mentioned in combo form. Still, the head/4×12 set up is like a tweed baseman on steroids. Last but not least, the most popular and most heavily used amp of all time is the 1965 Twin Reverb. The Pinnicle of Fender amps. Though I have a white Showman and it sounds like GOD. I alo have a white Twin with maroon cloth and a white Twin with west cloth. Like the Showman (SAME CIRCUIT) one of the greatest sounding amps ever. Honerable mention: Gibson GA40 and a Maestro GA-1RT Echo-Verb. A 1 watt amp that sounds like Jimi Hendrix. Absolute fireworks. Mine is dead silent at idle.

By: Jan Bellemans

Jan Bellemans — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 23:45:40 +0000

Larry Carlton used his 335 and his vintage 5E3 Tweed Deluxe on all Steely Dan recordings up to the Nightfly. Volume pedal, tone dialed back a bit, bridge pickup, cable. That’s it tonewise for the unbelievable Kid Charlemagne signature solo tone.
No Dumble in sight.
Of course Larry will sound exactly the same on a Dumble.
And that’s indeed Walter Becker on ‘Josie’, you can hear it in the Django-esque phrasing.

By: ask

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By: Fran Banish

Fran Banish — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 08:02:27 +0000

Fun article! I’ve recorded and played live with most of those amps. One thing: Larry Carlton didn’t play the solo on Josie,
maybe rhythm guitar. The lead is Walter Becker. Larry didn’t play much lead on that record. As far as Steely Dan tracks go,
Larry is most famous for playing solos on The Royal Scam album: Kid Charlemagne, Don’t Take Me Alive, The Royal Scam…and I’m fairly certain he played his 335 through his modded Princeton Reverb, years before he played a Dumble. There’s a Guitar Player Magazine interview from the mid-late ’70’s discussing some of that…Also, I haven’t heard much about Roy Buchanan and Deluxe Reverbs, he’s so associated with Vibrolux Reverbs. Maybe you mean Jeff Baxter ; )

By: Jay

Jay — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 05:13:40 +0000

While the AC30 made the list..I’m rather peeved that they choose U2 as to who made it famous…are you friggen kidding me? ALSO! To add insult to injury…..the part on the SuperO Thunderbolt..was totally ripped out of the manual of some of the Line 6 POD’s description of the amp sim that they used almost word for word…Pretty sure that’s called plagiarism!

By: Fabrice

Fabrice — Sun, 26 Apr 2015 16:52:13 +0000

Brian Setzer use a Roland re-301 ! not 201…

By: Mike C

Mike C — Mon, 09 Feb 2015 00:06:20 +0000

@Mike says

The uneven resister values are to compensate for one side getting an extra gain stage. This even things out.

By: mike

mike — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 00:50:01 +0000

@Paddy-

Valco made amps (Gretsch, National, Supro, etc.) used a paraphase inverter, often with asymmetrical grid resistors on the power tubes. They may have used the concertina type on some models but I have never seen one. I’ve often wondered if the asymmetry of the grid resistors causes one tube to clip before the other contributing to the unique tones of Valco amplifiers.

By: Ben Verson

Ben Verson — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 15:24:08 +0000

I think the Vox AC30 crown goes to Brian May of Queen. No offense, I love Edge, but the Brian May sound is the one that ALL AC 30 users are vompared to.

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By: Jonathan Dean

Jonathan Dean — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 18:59:53 +0000

great article – had NEVER heard of 2 and 3, and still find the Beano tone quite boring, but a great read/listen

By: Cigarro

Cigarro — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 18:55:24 +0000

Nice amps but I believe that Neil Young’s Tweed Deluxe has been modded with stronger transformers and he is using 6L6 tubes with a Jensen C12N speaker to handle the higher watt load of the 6L6s. Missing from this list are the Fender Narrow Panel Tweed Bassman and the Pre-CBS Fender Super Reverb. Both amps can push 35% more air than a 2X12. I’ve rebuilt a mid 60s AC30. They may sound good but pretty much everytime I went out and a guy was playing through one it caught fire. That was a mystery until the rebuild. 70% of the amp’s board is devoted to a tremolo circuit that sounds like crap. There is almost zero ventilation and so many tubes and electrical components its almost amazing that they didn’t ignite the minute they left the assembly line. I also recall reading that EVH said the amp with the best tone he’s ever played through was a Blonde/Brownface Fender Bandmaster.

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By: Gary

Gary — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 13:24:59 +0000

I was surprised that Carlos Santana and his might Mesa Boogie amps weren’t mentioned. So I’m mentioning them 😉

By: Robert Taylor

Robert Taylor — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 05:05:45 +0000

Very nice history lesson, especially with pics of these old amps, and especially the live videos of these players. The
combination of all these, was an excellent way to really teach musicians about tone, and the evolution of amps and
the musicians who chose them.

Bravo to a job well done, boo to the nitpickers!

By: Paddy

Paddy — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 23:22:46 +0000

On the Jimmy Page amp subject. Having played through a few Supros myself, I would say it’s most likely that the 1690 Coronado would be a more likely candidate for Page’s signature early sound than the Thunderbolt. The Coronado uses 6973 power tubes, which have a very distinctive tone. I know this tone well, as it was the reason I purchased my Supro 1600. (same power tubes)

The Thunderbolt, on the other hand, uses 6L6 power tubes. These have higher output and a somewhat clearer, though not-quite-clean tone. More of a George Thorogood sound than a Jimmy Page sound. Legend has it that Jimi Hendrix actually used a Supro Thunderbolt for some studio tracks like “The Wind Cries Mary” and such. Who knows?

One consistent thing with most Supros, the nearly identical preamp design and the concertina phase inverter used in virtually all of their push-pull amp designs. Does make for a similar tone across the whole lineup.

By: Raist

Raist — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 09:15:08 +0000

The VOX AC 30 entry is a bit off, there are lots of more iconic songs. The Shadows, the Beatles, Brian May…

By: postmodulator

postmodulator — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 00:08:31 +0000

As long as we’re nitpicking, Old Black (Neil Young’s #1) is not a Black Beauty, it’s a ’53 Goldtop that someone painted black before he got it. (Apparently kind of a cheap paint job, too.) His backup is another ’53 Goldtop.

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:35:14 +0000

Nice article. Thanks for writing it. It is fun to see all the vintage gear that helped to shape so many of the sounds we all know and love. However, I agree with your last statement about Eddie and all the players mentioned for that matter. So much of it is in the hands and the heart and creativity of the player. I listen to Jeff Beck throughout the decades and his tones have changed here and there. He has also perfected his technique, but from the earliest stages you can hear the beauty of his playing and the purpose he places behind each note. He demands that you listen through his playing. I had the chance to see Robben Ford several years ago play to a packed house with nothing but his RF Fender guitar and a cranked Black Face Deluxe and he sounded as he always does, like Robben, Fantastic! Of course when a great player finds the sounds that inspire him or her you get some true magic.

By: David

David — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 06:26:29 +0000

Head to the record store? What’s a record store?

By: Gary Carr

Gary Carr — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 05:28:08 +0000

great article, Ben

one small thing … I’d say that Clapton’s “woman tone” came with Cream, and after the Beano album.

By: elvis costanza

elvis costanza — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 02:03:20 +0000

Clapton’s “woman” tone didn’t happen until Cream’s second album,Roy Buchanan played through a VibroLux

By: Paul Kreft

Paul Kreft — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 20:15:42 +0000

How about Willie’s Baldwin C-1 Supersound?

By: Steve B

Steve B — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 00:05:58 +0000

I think the Vox owes more to the Beatles and other Brit bands. Edge is a late comer to the Vox chime.

By: Roger Branton

Roger Branton — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 00:07:29 +0000

I caught a Richard Lloyd show about 2 or 3 years ago. I guess what you’d call a gas-stop gig…I live in a fairly small town just east of Toronto and the show was in the tiniest club imagineable. There probably wasn’t more than 40 people there!
But Richard’s amp is an old Supro Thunderbolt an I have to say, those things are magnificent! This was easily one of the best rock shows I’ve seen in 30 or so years of seeing bands! The guy is…um…shall we say, a little eccentric but as a guitarist, you couldn’t see better. What tone!

By: Craig Ruskey

Craig Ruskey — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 20:48:18 +0000

Nice article about some very key amps. Well done. One small FYI about The Allman Brothers Band… the caption under the above photo says Duane Allman’s Last Show (Oct. 1971, Los Angeles). Duane’s last show was at the Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh on October 15, 1971 – not Los Angeles.

By: Drew

Drew — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:28:53 +0000

Can you imagine being given an amp prototype by Leo Fender.

At least he gave it to someone who put it to good use 🙂

By: Bender Rodriguez

Bender Rodriguez — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:41:02 +0000

Great article!

What about David Gilmour – Hiwatt DR103 and WEM 4×12” cabinets ??

cheers!

By: Ben Fargen

Ben Fargen — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:32:52 +0000

Thanks for all the great suggestions regarding other famous tube amps!!!There are so many we could have done a top 100!!!

Check back soon for more articles like this one each month.

All the best,
Benjamin Fargen
http://www.fargenamps.com

By: Ben Fargen

Ben Fargen — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:30:15 +0000

Hi Bill,

Thanks for the kind words….stay tuned for PT2 next month:>)

All the best,
Benjamin Fargen
http://www.fargenamps.com

By: Funknbluezer

Funknbluezer — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:06:06 +0000

I once had the opportunity to play through BB King’s Lab amp with my Gibson Lucille. The amp was dialed in to Mr. King’s settings (by the way, he plays very loud) and I wailed my best blues licks. You know what? I sounded just like me. It’s not the amp, it’s not the guitar, it’s not the strings or anything else in the signal chain. It all comes from you, the player. Or in this case, the King of the Blues, Mr.B King.

P.S. I got a very good visual inspection of THE Lucille too. You wouldn’t believe how high the action is and he has a huge wad of string wound around the tuning post.

By: Dave E

Dave E — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 01:03:56 +0000

How about the ’59 Tweed Fender Bassman, ’59 Tweed Fender Twin, and ’65 Fender Super Reverb used by blues players like Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, and SRV? There’s also the ’65 Fender Twin Reverb used as house amps in studios and on stages world-wide to play all genres of music.

By: Bob Burkard

Bob Burkard — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:26:55 +0000

Please don’t forget the Fender Champ, (57 -63), that Clapton used for Layla. It is one of the sweetest amps around. I love mine, and with a Strat, WOW. You mentioned the Space Echo that Brian Setzer used. My Buddy Don Celenza just gave his up after over 40 years. He recommended to me a the Danelectro Danecho. I bought one, and I have to say, it is very versatile, and very small, and no tapes to mess with.
Thank you for the info, and the walk down Memory Lane!!

By: Bill

Bill — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:02:32 +0000

Great article Ben. you should do more of these. I never knew that such a thing as a “Whizzer” even existed!

By: Keith Matten

Keith Matten — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:56:05 +0000

Absolutely loved this article. Clapton’s rendition of Freddy King’s Hideaway has always been my favorite Clapton solo just after “Crossroads”. Thanks to Larry Carlton who was so gracious to should us how to play “Josie”. Thanks you, thank you, so much for the effort you put into this articel. Well done!

By: Jason

Jason — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:24:09 +0000

I think the Marshall 100 W Super Lead should be attributed to Jimi Hendrix, but a nice list.

By: DaveG

DaveG — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:38:18 +0000

What? No Magnatone? Chalk one of those up for Neil, SRV and Lonnie Mack…
Also need an early Standel – used on countless country records by Chet Atkins, etc.

By: Benjamin Fargen

Benjamin Fargen — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:50:04 +0000

Hi Richard,

You are correct…I’m sure Roy used plenty of great old Fender amps during his day. When writing an article like this, it is impossible to capture all the cool gear a player might have used over the course of their career. I have some old timer friends that knew Roy back in the day and the particular story that involved Roy was about a old Deluxe Reverb…so I went with that angle.It was my first introduction to the genius of Roy Buchanan and I have loved his playing ever since.

All the best.
Benjamin Fargen

By: Ric Vice

Ric Vice — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:08:50 +0000

A very nice retrospective, if it weren’t for one oversight. You totally left out the Ampeg VT 22 and SVT that Keith Richards used with the Rolling Stones. It’s a very significant amplifier.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:28:54 +0000

Great article! I’m glad you included Neil Young because he has the most distinctive sound in rock, think of his trumpet like tone on Like a Hurricane.

By: Ken

Ken — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:45:40 +0000

What a great article – love the embedded clips showing the sound that is signature to the amp and the artist. Would be fun to see a studio guy witht he top 10 amps in a studio – just the amp – but that requires a lot of gathering of rare amps. Anyway great article

By: Richard Silletto

Richard Silletto — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:15:03 +0000

It was always my understanding Roy Buchanan always used a ’64 Vibrolux Reverb on stage (pointed to the back of the stage as you indicated). At least that was what he used the two times I was fortunate enough to see him. Still, a great article!

By: Doug Pratt

Doug Pratt — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:53:43 +0000

For Ben Fargen,

I just acquired (“acquired” means I’m very pleased) a little 1999 Danelectro HT50 from a pawnshop. You may know it’s called a Honeytone but it is not the plastic Honeytone currently available.

Can’t find history or any specs on this amp. Searched pretty diligently…did see Eric Clapton has his up for sale for $4,300.00…and wonder if you can direct me to an article, literature or any source of more info in this little hottie.

Cheers,

Doug
Atlanta, Ga.
ppr_edp@bellsouth.net

By: Anthony Peterson

Anthony Peterson — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:30:05 +0000

Wow. None of my favorites even made the cut! Good selection though.

By: neville elder

neville elder — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:59:38 +0000

This is great! Thanks.