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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Permalink Amp Conundrum

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My favorite Surf amp is a Winfield Tremor, which is quite similar to a Brownface Princeton. No onboard reverb, but your Surfy Bear would take care of that. The onboard tremolo is astoundingly good. It’s no a powerhouse, 15 watts or so, but it sounds dynamite.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

BrentD wrote:

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.

I had a Blues Jr and they are good amps....sound pretty good and very portable. The only thing I didn't care for was they sound a little "boxey" due to the relatively small cab. If you like the classic "Blackface" sound, you can't go wrong with a Princeton Reverb or a Deluxe Reverb Reissue. The Silverface reissues are a bit cheaper and can break-up a little earlier and feature reverb on both channels. Both the Blackface and Silverface Reissues can typically be found used at very reasonable prices. There also seems to be a lot of love growing for the
new Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb amps. They are not tube but from what I have heard they really nail the Blackface tube tone, weigh next to nothing and have built in attenuators that actually can bring down the volume to home levels w/o killing the tone (and there are no tubes to prematurely burn out).

Last edited: Jul 12, 2020 11:36:00

What do you guys think about Swart and Tone King? I keep looking at higher and higher end amps at this point since it would be nice to not keep upgrading. The Gremlin looks really cool but I've read some negative reviews as well. I think a fingerjoined cab made out of actual wood seems alot better than the particle board Fender uses these days. Its disappointing that they don't make nice cabs.

I've played through a Swart on several occasions, and it is a great amp. If you want to get that surf drip reverb effect you will need another reverb source (surfy bear, tank). The reverb on the Swarts I have played don't produce the surf reverb drip. Their reverb (Space) is very big, open and lush. They are amazing amps though.

Rev

Canadian Surf

http://www.urbansurfkings.com/

Rev's right. If you are talking about modern mellow stuff or out there ambient surf, a Swart will work. It doesn't drip like a tank though.

They are really nice sounding amps! But don't keep climbing the price ladder. If you want a Champ, get a Champ.

Neptune Trojans

I have the surfybear so I'm not even worried about onboard reverbs anymore, but will it make a big difference if I got something with a nicer cab? The deluxe verb is still like 1300 on reverb.com and probably too loud to play in our basement apartment. The Gremlin is a 5w that apparently plays as loud as a 15w and its only about 1k. Is the champ better than the deluxe reverb as far as fenders go??

The Quilter Pro Block or any Quilter with a limiter control will produce outstanding surf at low volumes

The Kahuna Kings

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kahuna-Kings/459752090818447

https://thekahunakings.bandcamp.com/releases

Silas, where are you locate? Nobody in the US should be spending $1,300 on a Deluxe Reverb, but if you're overseas then any of the fancier amps like Swarts will probably have import duties.

Neptune Trojans

I'm in the states, I'n just seeing deluxe reverbs listed at high prices generally

What about running that Brownfacer pedal through your KB300?

I also have a custom tremolo pedal and the outboard reverb so I'm not too worried about having those built in, I just want something that sounds great, looks cool l, can play at high and low volumes without much compromise and is made of high quality materials that will last. I did just look and see that there are some cheaper dlx reverbs out there

Oh, yeah - a DRRI is only $1100 new and used can be had as low as $700. And a used Blues Jr. can be had at half that.

Neptune Trojans

I'll still stand by my Blues Jr recommendation. I love mine and use it more often than I thought I would. Outboard reverb FOR SURE, as the onboard is pitiful at best.

That said... if you can find a Deluxe Reverb at a similar price, that would become my recommendation. I think they might be the most versatile amps out there. Blackface, reissue, Silverface... all great, and will do what you want.

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