Re: Amp advice needed

Jim wrote:

I'm not here to try to prove you wrong, but I'd be willing to bet that
if you had two amps -- silverface in decent repair, but not restored vs.
reissue -- and treated them exactly the same...  You'd find that the
silverface turns out to be more reliable.  It's the nature of the
components and the design.

Ok, and if I was the type to measure such things, I could very well
end up agreeing with you.

But I am the type that ends up walking too far out front, Armored
Cable pulls my amp off the cab, and SPLAT.
Either one is broke. Either one is now equally reliable and that is,
not. I'm off to get something out of the car to finish with. Or
better, barmaid turns on all of the televisions, the forty three
signs, two freezers, and the Water Ice stand next door ALL AT ONCE.
Don't matter which amp I got, we just blew every fuse in the place and
we are ALL going out to the car to get something.

See, we probably agree on a lot of things. Unfortunately for you amp
guys, the stuff that ACTUALLY happens to amps is NOT the stuff you
guys sit around making much hay about. Amps fail, they don't just
loose .003 microfarads of capacitance across open traces.

One of the ways that I deal with it is by choosing more reliable to
start with.  That would go double if I did gig!

Of course, I don't think anyone that gigs doesn't try to get something
decent. What happens when Drunk Girl does just one too many swirls
during Margaritaville and takes out yer SF Twin? Reliable? Yes,
reilably laying in a useless heap of not Leo DNA on some sticky ass
barroom floor. Like any other twin, new, old, whatever. Because THAT
is the stuff that happens.

Not Fender Twin Reverbs.  They are NOT cheaper than a used silverface,
and not more reliable.

Ok.

I still own the JMP 2204 that I bought new off the showroom floor.
It'll be for sale after I die.  If I gigged, I'd get an anvil case and
use it with respect.

And when it got a beer knocked into it and went up in a great smelling
POOF! I'd help you go out and find another one.

I honestly didn't intend that as an insult to you.

It wasn't taken as an insult.

BTW, it's a fun hobby for me.  I'm challenged each time that I run into
a new fault.  I learn stuff.  And I'm rewarded by the end product.

If I did it for income, I doubt it'd be fun.

I am lucky to have always held a pretty good job through my life. If
I did it for income, I doubt it would be much fun anymore for me
either.

Look, I don't think we'd be this far off in discussions if we were
face-to-face.  If I repeat myself, I'm not trying to argue.  I'm trying
to make sure you get my side.  Not convince you that I'm right, but make
sure you understand what I'm saying.

Oh, I get you for sure.

I'm saying that you can buy a maintained silverface TODAY for less than
the cost of a new reissue, or the same cost as a used reissue.

And my advice to the original poster and others that may be just
starting out in this goofy world remains the same: buy a decent new
amp that sounds something like what you want, and again, don't bother
with "vintage". I stand by that firmly, it is a hole in the water you
pour money into. It will be nothing but a continual distraction to
what you are trying to do.

You may disagree with the content.  Doubt me, call it opinion...  Hell,
ridicule my posts if you want.  But please do me a favor and don't act
like I don't know what I'm trying to say.

I think you do know what you are trying to say.

Perhaps you still don't see my point.  In a nutshell:
- Silverface is more reliable by nature of component quality and design.

Ok.

- Silverface is cheaper than new reissue, and roughly the same cost as
used reissue.

Ok.

Therefore:  Why buy reissue?  You don't even need to consider "40 years
down the road" or "resale value."

I don't know bro. If I knew a new person buying any amp for any
reason the last thing I would help them do is go out into the world
and sort the "good" silverfaces from the "bad" silverfaces and the
pull-out masters from the not pull-out masters and all that other
ridiculous bee Ess that gets in the way of playing music in bands with
people for the best time of yer life. To do that any decent amp,
reissue or not, will do. If you don't need the hassles and pain in
the ass that goes along with all things "vintage", why bother?

I said that I only work on my own amps.  I don't own a Matchless, only
the circuit that I built.  It seems like you have something to say, I'm
all ears.

Well, the only two guys around here that regularly used Matchless both
dumped such fine ampliphones at very significant losses even when you
consider how much they made using them because the aforementioned
blown fuse type of incidents caused both guys to amass HUGE repair
bills becuase of how well built them amps were.

Becuase they were made by an amp tech, ifUnowuttamean Vern.

Seriously, I like to talk about amps.  I don't try to offend other
owners.  I'm happy to explain my opinions.  I don't like the way written
responses tend towards back-and-forth quips.

Yeah, but that used to be the best part of usenet.

 I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that we can't see through the monitors.  We can't
hear each others tone of voice.

Of course.

If this was happening in person, I know we'd be in the middle of a
friendly discussion.

Absolutely. And somehow, for whatever reason, you would owe me a
beer. I'm pretty sure of it.

If I somehow offended you, it wasn't intended.

I have been in these places, being absolutely right about all things
Fender and Gibson for a very long time. Humble too, did I mention
that? Caring and compassionate as well. And of course, I have cases
that have been to more gigs than you, can't forget that. And I left
more guitar player in the bowl this morning than you wil ever be. Oh
metric tonnes of other hardly memorable retorts over the...holy
crap...decades now.

So no, you haven't ever, and you won't ever offend me. If you did, we
wouldn't have made it past the second or third sentence. If I don't
think I can get along with someone here, I just don't talk to them
much is all.

rct
.

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