I just recently procured a couple of new amps. I'm really groovin on one of them and the jury is still out on the other. I'm getting older now and I don't need all the decibels to enjoy great tone. I love that old Fender small amp cranked tone with a little verb and or just the slightest bit of delay. I also like that Chimey Vox tone and that Marshall Crunch is pure R&R.

I'm sure you can tell that I don't know what I want. It's pretty hard to obtain all 3 distinct tones from 1 amp. Some may lay claim to being the Holy Grail but I've yet to find the right horse.

I just picked up a Divided by 13 LDW 17/39 and it definitely has the Marshall thing down pat. The tone is sweet but even on 17 watts and using the master volume it will leave your ears ringing if you aren't careful. I love the sounds but I've got to save my hearing for later in life when I'm in the nursing home. All those old timers with plenty of good stories to tell and I wouldn't hear a thing.

The second amp is a Pierson Champ which is an excellent clone of the real one out of Fullerton. It's one sweet amp and even when it's cranked it's still at a moderate volume. The one I have has a Celestion 12" speaker so there is plenty of clean tone to be had by just turning down the volume on the guitar. If you keep the amp volume about half way up and use a pedal of your choice it's the best of both worlds.

Since neither of these 2 amps has any effects such as reverb on it I'm using a Dano Echoplex pedal to just add a little delay to round out the notes.

It's unfortunate that we don't have any Boutique Guitar shops here locally to try before you buy but I'm sure that I'll get accustomed to the D/13. I just might have to make a road trip to the Windy City to procure my Vox tone.

Let's see Chicago Dogs, Deep Dish Pizza, Greektown, Chinatown. Carr, 65 Amps, Two Rock, home of Victoria. Oh Boy............this is going to be fun.

Best in 2008,
Papple

Yum! All my favorites. Victorias are made right next to my hometown. Ship me a Giordano's stuffed spinach 'za!

I went to Mass Street Music yesterday and walked out with a Dr. Z. Maz 18 Jr. (with reverb). I pretty much had my mind made up on a Carr Rambler but they were out of stock. I plugged in a Grosh VT Tele that they had hanging on the wall into that amp and I was sold.... and for a lot less money than the Rambler. I know the Rambler is an excellent amp but I think this little Dr. Z will be a keeper. Thanks again everyone for all of your help.

Congrats! Those are great amps.

I have a 50s Fender Deluxe and a Victoria Deluxe.
I use a McIntosh 30 watt tube amp to make either one the loudest Tweed on the planet. I run the signal through either a Seymour Duncan angled cab with 4 12 Celestion greenbacks or two 12 inch Dan Armstrong cabs with Cerwin Vegas.

I am looking at a Carr a friend has.

I would give big money to get back the blackfaced Princeton Reverb I used through high school. The bass player still owns it, and even thogh he hasn't plugged it in in 20 plus years, he won't part with it just yet.Which leads me to the Headstrong.

Congrats BAR! Dr. Z makes some of the best amps and they aren't quite as expensive as some of the other makers. I, too, may be in the market for a boutique amp later this year. That depends on if I get a Collings 290 or not.

Thanks Nick. I am so thrilled with this new amp. And you're right... quite a bargain when comparing to other boutique amps... and it really compliments my Grosh tele. So you're in the market for a Collings 290? Mass Street Music has 2 really cool black ones... the kind where the white grain fill shows through. Absolutley gorgeous.

BAR, did you try any other of Dr. Z's amps? As far as the Collings 290's, if I get one I'd like a TV Yellow w/ pearloid. I'm also considering a Fender Strat or Tele.

Nick - I did not try any of the other Dr. Z amps so I can't help you out. I love the 290's in that TV Yellow. Good luck in your search!

BAR
You will love the Maz 18. I owned one for a couple of years and traded it for a Carmen Ghia last summer. Both are incredible amps the Maz 18 was Non Reverb model and it just cranked I never missed the reverb at all. The CG is just so fun. 2 knobs and so many tones. They both take pedals very well. If you haven't done so yet check out these sites. Very similar to the Collings forum with some knowledgeable folks who can answer most of your questions and tune your amp just the way you want.
http://drzamplifiers.proboards41.com/
http://www.guitaramplifierblueprinting.com/
Tim

I had a Rambler. It did crystal clean really well and had a nice bottom end for a small amp. It ended up sounding too hi-fi for me in the end.

Right now, I have a Sewell Wampus Cat Classic; kinda his take on a tweed. It seems to be able to go from blackface clean to tweed overdrive as you crank it. Doug Sewell's website has been down since 2006 so I don't know if you could get sound samples, but he is a really nice guy and responds quickly to emails and phone calls.

Rotten,well said about the Carr Rambler being too hi-fi.Every time I've played thru a Rambler it just had something that kinda bugged me and your reply put it into words.

BTW,a lot of players around here do not like Collings acoustics and I've heard them say....too hi-fi compared to a Martin or Gibson.