I'm going to back Zak up here. A modern tube amp is going to need the same amount of maintenance as an old one. And when a modern one, with PCB construction, breaks it is going to cost more to repair than an old hand-wired tube amp.

In 5 years of owning and using 3 old tube amps I've only ever had to change filter caps on two of them(because the previous owners put in crap much like would be used standard in new amps) and I've re-tubed the power tubes on two of them and pre-amp tubes on one of them.

It isn't a lot of money into something that is going to accrue value and stick around for a long time. And then there is the issue of tone.

zak

gavrrr
... or a Harmony 415 with the two 12" Jensens, that's a whole lot more amp within the same kind of budget. ... The Harmony H415 would be my personal choice, however...a lot of folks associate Harmony with "cheap" but their amps were made by Valco...see how much an equivalent Valco-made mid-60s 2x12 Supro or Gretsch amp goes for these days - about 3 or 4 times what the Harmony-branded equivalent goes for even though it is the same chassis in a cabinet with different cosmetics...if you wanted something modern with comparable tone you'll be paying a few grand for a Matchless. I just picked up a Harmony H525 for $450...check out what an identical Supro Thunderbolt goes for nowadays...$1200-$1800 - yikes!
Valco tone FTW!

Zak, I agree with your advice, but just want to clarify that in the '50s-'60s era the only Valco-made Harmony models were the 4xx and 5xx series, and many of the Harmony amps one sees for sale on eBay are indeed not Valco products. The common 3xx series amps (with the light blue faceplates) and the rarer 2xx series are not Valco-made, and were most likely sourced from Sound Projects/Lectrolab (and fine on their own merits). The early 1xx series are harder to pinpoint.

There is a lot of misinformation out there on what is and isn't a Valco. For example, Rob Roberge has an article on MyRareGuitars.com which IDs Harmony H210, H306a and Kay 6V6 amps as Valco-made, but he is wrong on all three counts. One of these days I'll start a blog called "That's Not A Valco".

This post has been removed by the author.

Last edited: Sep 24, 2009 00:10:46

Hi Guys

After all the good advice I've gotten from you all I've made a purchase. I deliberated a fair bit but the most common thread from this forum was a Strat.

So I looked into the types of strat style guitars available. I can't justify the money on a genuine US Strat so I went to a couple of shops & tried a Squier Vintage Modified at one place then at another shop I tired a Mexican made Strat & a Squier Classic Vibe 60's back to back. When I first tried the Vintage Mod I found it really tricky to find my way around the Fret board. It just felt too slippery to me. This guitar has a maple fretboard which is varnished.

But when I tried the Mexican Strat & the Squier Classic Vibe 60's, these 2 guitars have a rosewood fretboard, I found this much easier & much more similar to my Acoustic guitar that I'm used to. So I preferred the Rosewood. I kept swapping the Mex Strat & the Squier & decided I preferred the feel of the Squier. So that's what I've bought. A Squier Strat Classic Vibe 60's which has the rosewood fretboard. I was able to get a really good price at another shop but they are out of stock in the Sunburst colour I like so I'm waiting for it to come into stock which could be a few weeks which is a bummer. But this shop is almost $200 cheaper than other shops and I'm getting a Fender Moulded Hard Case & a stand as well.

The shop where I tried the 2 Strats were directiing me towards a Peavey Envoy amp. I didn't particularly like the sound of this amp. Previously at my local shop I'd heard the Fender G-Dec 30 amp. This amp is a modelling amp but it also has a drum machine built into it. Before you write me off as an idiot I'll tell you a bit about this amp. When the shops demo these amps they are keen to show it's drum & backing tracks & also it's recording ability. The backing tracks sound pretty cheesy so this would turn a lot of more serious musos off them. They do sound pretty ordinary.

But these G-Dec amps also have loads of effects pedals built into them. There are loads of preset styles which choose an amp style, effects, reverb, timbre etc. But you are able to change all these settings & save your preferences as a customised style. As well as totally create your own setup. There are 50 presets & you can save 50 personal styles as well.

On top of this, I really liked the sound of the amp. It was at the top of my amp budget but when you consider it has amp styles, pedals, recording ability, drum machine all built in I consider it a good purchase. To get the Surf sound I wanted I was going to need to buy a pedal which as you all know cost a few bucks. Then I was going to need a Rockabilly setup as well. So buying pedals was going to blow more money.

You can also upload songs to the amp, plug in an MP3 player to play along with as well. They are a good amp & well worth considering. Even if you only use a backing beat as a metronome it saves you getting a basic drum machine for this which alone are not cheap.

So that's what I've bought guys. The Squier Strat Clasic Vibe 60's & the Fender G-Dec 30. Thanks for all your help & advice. I can't wait to get my hands on the new guitar. In the meantime I've loaned from a friend an old Aria hollowbody to have a play with. I'm using my acoustic the most though while I get my hands back in the swing of things. My finger tips are hardening up nicely.

I havent played a classic vibe strat but we just had a classic vibe tele in and i thought it was really cool. I made my brother buy it so i didnt half to.

like Robbie said
PLAY IT BEFORE YOU LEAVE
they are all diffrent.

Give me reverb or give me death!
facebook.com/onenightstandards
https://www.youtube.com/scotstandard
scotstandard@yahoo.com

revhank
I would add a Danelectro to the list, especially an original one. The only thing you'd be missing is a whammy (on most models). I find the hollow body to be a great asset for tone, and love the sound of the original lip stick tube pick ups.

Rev

Yeah, I think Rev has an idea. You could get a Strat for most of the tones and styles everyone is talking about, and add a Danelectro for more Rockabilly tones. The Dan would be an inexpensive addition to the Strat.

Thanks for the feedback P-90jjet. I did see an Artcore at the local Secondhand shop & I was very impressed with it's finish. Very sleek indeed.
I've had the Squier almost a year now & it's going well & I've been very happy with it

just wondering - does anyone ever play or have played an ES 335 (semi-hollow BB king) style guitar for surf music? I know they don't usually have the whammy bar on them but just wondering if it could be done.
heard some people saying that you can get quite a twangy sound from them depending on the pickup selection and amp...
is there any truth in that?
thanks!

brunopietoso
just wondering - does anyone ever play or have played an ES 335 (semi-hollow BB king) style guitar for surf music? I know they don't usually have the whammy bar on them but just wondering if it could be done.
heard some people saying that you can get quite a twangy sound from them depending on the pickup selection and amp...
is there any truth in that?
thanks!

I've played an ES-355 for surf. It was my favorite guitar I played for that style. Granted I no longer have interest in achieving the traditional surf tone for myself.

You can find one with a Bigsby B7 to put on one or you can put a B6 on a stop tail piece model.

Hey guys, thanks for that... it does seem like it's something to think about.
Reason is I could see throughout some other posts that people's guitars were mainly strats, jaguars etc... I was just a bit curious but I guess it does seem like it's something to think about

Jake, yeah I guess the Bigsby could be a plus to have to achieve a bit of the traditional sound...

Thanks!!