SilasFiction
Joined: Jul 07, 2020
Posts: 14
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Posted on Jul 07 2020 10:14 AM
Hello fellow fever riders,
I am new to surf playing and currently piecing together my rig. I just got a Dipinto Galaxie 4 and have a SurfyBear on the way but my amp is a lackluster Fender frontman 25r I got for 50 bones. I want to make the jump to tube territory and am having a hard time making a decision. The Fender Vaporizer is super appealing visually and price wise but I read it won’t be loud enough for gigs. Likewise the Blues Junior is only a couple watts more and almost twice as much. The new LA Vice tolex would match my guitar beautifully. Should I just go ahead and get a Deluxe Reverb for the sake of not needing to be mic’d in case of outdoor gigs? It may sound stupid but I want something that looks as cool as it sounds. Let me know what y’all think, I appreciate any input
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edwardsand
Joined: Jun 29, 2018
Posts: 661
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Posted on Jul 07 2020 10:40 AM
Welcome and good luck on your search! You should read the thread on What's Your Favorite Surf Amp (it's stickied to the top of the Gear Forum)- lots of opinions there.
If you want more direct advice, it would help to state more parameters, like what your price range is and what other types of music you would play on the amp. I used to have a Frontman 25r - rather harsh sounding amp, but good for practice and I liked the onboard reverb, so I know where you are starting from.
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BrentD
Joined: Apr 07, 2009
Posts: 148
Michigan
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Posted on Jul 07 2020 11:09 AM
Ed's got good questions about budget and musical styles. I would also be curious about your outdoor gigs - they can vary a lot. Some people can play with Princetons outdoors, and others can have a wall of Twins and have trouble being heard.
Are your gigs miced?
— Neptune Trojans
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Redfeather
Joined: Jul 30, 2016
Posts: 854
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Posted on Jul 07 2020 11:17 AM
A Deluxe Reverb is a lot of dough for a sound you can get other ways.
My opinion is that it's not a great choice. I don't think tubes are necessarily going to be imparting any kind of magic on your sound.
In the room where I generally plug in a guitar to practice, I have a reverb tank and one amp. A 1980s Peavey Bandit. It has great reverb on its own but when I'm running the tank through it, it's every bit the surf sound that a Deluxe Reverb would be. And a whole lot more adjustable, with its three knob EQ plus the "lead gain" channel.
Another thing to consider, if you're trying to make your sound more robust, is to send your amp to a closed speaker cabinet instead of its onboard speaker. It makes a huge difference. Even your little FM25 would sound punchy as hell. I know because I have a little 15 watt Ampeg head that I run that way and it gets really loud. Remember that speaker efficiency plays a huge role in how loud an amp comes off.
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ScottyBravo
Joined: Jul 14, 2008
Posts: 92
Chandler, AZ
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Posted on Jul 07 2020 11:46 AM
A lot of folks here sing the praises of the Quilter 101 & 202 heads. They aren't tube amps but I've heard they sound great when paired with the SurfyBear.
— Scott
http://thesurfsideiv.com/
https://www.facebook.com/surfsideiv/
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SilasFiction
Joined: Jul 07, 2020
Posts: 14
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Posted on Jul 07 2020 12:23 PM
I play bass in a punk band on the side and have huge peavey 300 combo. I don't know what gigs will be mic'd and what won't so thats why I way curious about getting something that can stand alone. A new Blues junior and a used deluxe reverb go for the same price on reverb.com. I could lug my peavey around to mic a small amp myself but don't think i have the space for that. I'm also a sucker for colored tolex so keep that in mind. I did lurk the favorite amps thread for a while before creating an account to ask the general populace of the forum. Everyone's taste is so different than I would expect honestly
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SilasFiction
Joined: Jul 07, 2020
Posts: 14
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Posted on Jul 07 2020 12:24 PM
I also am kind of budgetless at this point, under $1000 sounds good to me
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skeeter
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 2062
Virginia, USA
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Posted on Jul 07 2020 12:40 PM
Maybe check out the new Tone Master Deluxe Reverb or Twin Reverb?
Not tube, but they're supposed to sound great and both have adjustable power outputs. Plus, they're both under $1000.
— Paul
Atomic Mosquitos
Bug music for bug people is here!
Killers from Space
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Redfeather
Joined: Jul 30, 2016
Posts: 854
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Posted on Jul 07 2020 12:41 PM
I say put a chunk toward a sweet 2x15 cabinet in your favorite color with JBLs and worry about the amp after that. I think the cabinet probably has a more profound effect on the sound than the amp running through it.
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DeathTide
Joined: Apr 13, 2018
Posts: 1343
New Orleans
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Posted on Jul 07 2020 01:04 PM
So nice of you to post! Before attempting to help I have a question:
“What sound are you going for?” Old, new, mellow, harsh, dirty, clean-dirty, or clean-clean, etc. etc.
Personally, the “Bombora” tone (but slightly cleaner so you can hear the tremolo picking) is THE guitar tone for me.*
Dan Izen
- I have heard nothing other than tubes that can sound like that. Many other classic surf tones are exquisitely reproduced with Quilters (some folks even get a cleaner and fuller sound!), but I have yet to hear anything close to the Bombora tone.
SilasFiction wrote:
Hello fellow fever riders,
I am new to surf playing and currently piecing together my rig. I just got a Dipinto Galaxie 4 and have a SurfyBear on the way but my amp is a lackluster Fender frontman 25r I got for 50 bones. I want to make the jump to tube territory and am having a hard time making a decision. The Fender Vaporizer is super appealing visually and price wise but I read it won’t be loud enough for gigs. Likewise the Blues Junior is only a couple watts more and almost twice as much. The new LA Vice tolex would match my guitar beautifully. Should I just go ahead and get a Deluxe Reverb for the sake of not needing to be mic’d in case of outdoor gigs? It may sound stupid but I want something that looks as cool as it sounds. Let me know what y’all think, I appreciate any input
— Daniel Deathtide
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SixStringSurfer
Joined: Sep 23, 2014
Posts: 1350
Memphis, TN
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Posted on Jul 07 2020 01:21 PM
For budget and weight, your best bet is a Quilter 202 Tone Block. Run that into a SurfyBear Compact, a 1x12 or 1x15 cab, and you're all set!
— MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale.
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SilasFiction
Joined: Jul 07, 2020
Posts: 14
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Posted on Jul 07 2020 02:21 PM
I want to experiment with tones so cant quite put my finger on it, definitely wet, maybe a little on the dirty side. Everyone is saying quilter. Can you run things through my peavey combo 300 as the cab? I've never had a headxcab setup, always just a regular solid state combo so I really dont know much about the amplification side of things. Loving my DiPinto, got a first of its kind model inspired by Nudie Suits. So nice to have a jazzmaster style bridge after months of having nothing to wham on
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SilasFiction
Joined: Jul 07, 2020
Posts: 14
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Posted on Jul 07 2020 02:23 PM
And wow, meant to say 'Hello fellow reverb riders'... Autocorrect kills me
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MadScientist
Joined: Jan 17, 2008
Posts: 2188
Atlanta, GA
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Posted on Jul 07 2020 05:38 PM
Hey there, Silas! Glad to see you posting on here! That Quilter suggestion is a great one. It's probably not a route that you might have considered, but those things sound really incredible. Incredibly versatile, too. You'll just need a speaker cab.
—
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WaimeaBay
Joined: Jul 05, 2006
Posts: 966
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Posted on Jul 07 2020 07:34 PM
I am pretty much a surf purist when it comes to gear. That being said, you have a lot of options and don't need to spend a great deal of money to get started. The DiPinto and the Surfy Bear is a great start. Maybe a tremolo pedal down the road too?
I have run reverb units through solid state amps just out of curiosity. The sound is not that bad. You can dial in decent tones on a Peavy Amp, or anything that has enough clean head room. As much as a snob I am with my own gear, there are really no rules. Have fun and try different things. A fender tube amp such as a Princeton, or Deluxe Reverb is always safe ground. For higher wattage options, the Fender RI Vibroverb is an amazing amp. And if you want something with a huge amount of headroom and sound, you can't go wrong with a Twin Reverb.
As I said, there are no rules, but there is a lot of gear out there that is tried and true. Use your ears as a guide. Good luck!
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edwardsand
Joined: Jun 29, 2018
Posts: 661
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Posted on Jul 07 2020 08:53 PM
Way back I played bass with a Peavey amp in a punk/alt/garage band, so again, I feel where you are coming from. So you have to gauge how much of a purist you are in terms of surf sound. I like some grit/dirt and am not dedicated to tubes. The important thing is the sound you like. From this discussion, I'd expect you'd like the Quilter amps. You'd need to get a speaker cab, but in the end, if you change your mind you can sell the Quilter and keep the cab.
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BrentD
Joined: Apr 07, 2009
Posts: 148
Michigan
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Posted on Jul 07 2020 10:19 PM
Even though you've never had a head and can setup, it's not a big deal. There are just a couple of things to remember over a combo:
- You'll connect the head and cab with a speaker cable and it has to be a speaker cable (it's got different specs than an instrument cable, which is not suitable);
- When you buy the rig, you'll have to get a cab with appropriate impedance and wattage handling. It's not hard to learn how to do this but if you buy a matched set you might not even have to think at all.
Heads and cabs are fun because you can mix and match!
— Neptune Trojans
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Surfadelphia
Joined: Sep 04, 2017
Posts: 403
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Posted on Jul 08 2020 08:09 AM
If you are on a budget, a used Peavey Delta Blues 115 might be a decent option. All tube, 30 watts, 15" speaker, reverb and tremolo. On board verb is just ok (usually benefits by swapping out the stock pan for a MOD pan) but you'll have a Surfy Bear for the verb anyway. The Peavey Classic 30 is also excellent but has a 12" speaker and no tremolo. Even brand new, the Delta Blues is 799.99 and the Classic 30 699.99 but used they are steals. If you want/need bigger the Peavey 50 watt Classic 50 w/ two 12" speakers is $899.99 new and of course there are probably very good used deals to be had. Also, one of the unusually nice features of the Peavey Classic Series amps is that while they sound great clean w/ good headroom, they all have excellent sounding very usable overdrive channels. Now if you want super clean, crazy loud find yourself a Peavey Session™ 115 500-Watt 1x15 which was designed for pedal steel (it'll need to used as they don't make it anymore). They do still list the 80 watt 1x12" version which is still very clean and very loud.
Last edited: Jul 08, 2020 08:18:10
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SilasFiction
Joined: Jul 07, 2020
Posts: 14
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Posted on Jul 10 2020 11:26 PM
Everyone reccomends such vastly different equipment its funny to me. Really considering going and tinkering at a music shop all masked and gloved up. The surfy bear sounds so good, can't wait to hear it out of a real amp. Still considering the blues jr after doing some research, I think it would give me that little bit of breakup that would put me in the Cramps territory if I wanted as well as giving me clean options.
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BrentD
Joined: Apr 07, 2009
Posts: 148
Michigan
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Posted on Jul 11 2020 08:44 AM
That's not a bad idea. A Blues Jr. is a great amp - but my "guy who's bought a lot of equipment" brain says for the same price I'd probably take a DRRI 95 times out of 100.
There are circumstances where a BJr is the better choice, but that will depend on your specific needs.
— Neptune Trojans
Last edited: Jul 11, 2020 08:46:07
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