I need some clarity. I have 3 amps in various states of repair, and I need to make some decisions / changes. But I'm too close to these things to see clearly.

The deal... I have 3 amps:




1998 mesa dual rectifier trem-o-verb 2x12 combo

PRO'S: Flexible sound (total of 4 channels and more options than any rational person needs), famous amp/model so it holds value well, does the Big Wall Of !!!! sound like no other (foo fighters, weezer, whatever). Kinda hard to find these days, and man do I love to collect shit. Could be worth big bucks when I'm 50.

CONS: Weighs a little over 100 lbs. Reverb crapped out. Getting noisy, even with decent tubes, but nothing troubling yet. Broken tiny metal knob for the trem on the top channel, means lower resale value unless I fix it somehow. Doesn't make my balls tingle unless it's doing that one sound it's famous for (GRRRR!!!), and I'm just not making that kinda noise much anymore, at all. Decent clean, but not really suitable for twang / all things tele, especially given that there are two fenders right there next to it for comparison.

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1996 Fender Vibrolux Reverb Re-issue

PRO'S:
Great clean sound, tons of character, has a road case, just the right weight and volume, even the pedal steel sounds pretty good through it (has just enough bottom end to cover, but barely), and when you turn it up to 9 and push it hard, you remember that this is what Stevie played through (minus the ten's and plus a single 15).

CONS:
The fucking thing has crapped out somehow, and it's not just tubes. Anything over 1 on the main volume and it's fart-city. I'm thinking blown poweramp or something, but I don't know enough to diagnose it properly, unless I crack it open (which is easy) and see something charred. I can order parts and solder with the best of 'em, but if it isn't obvious visually, I may get stumped. No car to take it somewhere to get fixed, and scared of the pricetag. I worked it into the ground with loud regular gigs for 3 years, I guess.

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1966 Fender Vibrolux with '66 Fender 2x12 cab (originally they had 2x10's)

PRO'S:
This one DOES make my balls tingle. I had it worked over back in athens, but never played it out much because it's kinda big with the cab, and I wanted to treat it gently. But sweet jesus, now it's all I play through up in the attic. It has dynamics, glassy highs, perfect mids, nice and tight down low, teles sound like fucking heaven through it, but then even with a les paul going through a mesa v-twin pre amp into it, it sounds really, Really goddam good. Very little background noise, only 25 watts, so it gets character without breaking windows... in short "fuh." Also, I bought both the head and cab back in athens for a total of $500 I think, and the pic there is from an auction going for three times that much. Interesting.

CONS:
Hard to transport a head and 2x12. Also, IT OLD.

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So the question... what do I fix, what do I sell, do I sell anything? I really want a small, low-wattage, top-shelf tone amp I can carry around easily and gig with if I wanted to. If I could snap my fingers and get $500 for the fucked up fender combo, I might do it. And if I could magically get $1300 for the mesa, maybe I'd let it go too. I donno. I really do believe it's a classic, and even if I don't want one right now, maybe it's worth hanging onto. I don't know what I want. But I know it isn't an attic full of shit that sorta kinda works for me.

also, I have:

1. No gigs, whatsoever
2. No real opportunity for playing beyond my attic for the forseeable future
3. A hopeless addiction to gear

Fix the Mesa and sell it. (A new reverb tank is pretty cheap incidentally)

Also, sell some guitars.

never.

never in a million fucking years. I want MORE.

Ok, sell the mesa. Borrow neuroboy's car and at least see how much it will be to fix the Vibrolux and if its too much, sell it too, as is.

It was when I started storing both combos in the garage that the reverb tanks quit on me. Both of them. I should look into replacing it, and the toggle switch.

Dude. If I knew more I'd make some recommendations but I'm just now starting to understand the sounds that I want to get and what it will take to get them.

Read: I wouldn't mind selling my Hot Rod and getting something a little smaller but shit hot and good with pedals.

to be continued. Headed home for the night. Thoughts appreciated.

Also, if I was you, I'd buy THIS with the proceeds and never look back.

Not that its much help, but if I had $500 to spare I would consider buying the Fender Combo.

your answer, sir.

Yeah. From your descriptions it sound like this is the one you least want to part with. Keep it and sell the others. If you can get what you want for both you should be able to still find a good, used Fender Princeton Reverb if you still want that Fender clean for relatively cheap AND still have enough for a good down payment on a new guitar.

how the hell did you get those up the attic?

i have a hot rod 4x10 and while i love it, the fucking thing is a pain in the ass to lug around. would love to have the same thing half the size.

You have to keep the 66' Fender Vibrolux. It just looks bad ass.

Without a doubt keep the 60s Vibrolux. The others are nice amps fo sho, but they ain't worth much if you ain't using them.

Move them on and pick up something that won't just be sitting there.

seriously. i was impressed.

Oh come on Kyle, you know my answer. Keep the 66 at all costs.

But I'd find your closest licensed mesa repairman and get it repaired properly and save it for your kid. Your instincts are right, give it 5-10 years, and that amp will sell for 2K plus, but your kid will adore you forever for saving it.

I'd get your 96 fender fixed and sell it outright.

What you really need is two amps, one for the pedal, one for the tele.

For the tele, Musicman RD 112 50 watt. Totally gig worthy and not a back breaker. Not pricey as far as vintage amps go. It might actually be a decent pedal steel amp to.

I've seen some steel players here going through keyboard amps and getting great sounds so that might be an option.

If you want a low watt tone monster for not alot of money, Epi valve jr. head and cab. You can buy great mods online. Don't underestimate this beast.

evans for your pedal steel, no bids on it, 3 days to go

http://cgi.ebay.com/Evans-Custon-Amplif ... 7C294%3A50

actually, this is your all in one answer, and they don't make this model anymore.

http://cgi.ebay.com/TONE-KING-Continent ... 7C294%3A50

plus, light as hell.

Jebus, that Tone King is bad to the bone.

I don't know squat about geetar amps, but a friend over on my main Forum hang-out repairs them for a living- you might could get some tips if you want to try DIYing the futzed ones.

The newer ones that they've got, the meteor series... maybe they're on the meteor II series now... are also monsters, but there's something about the continentals and the imperials that are more classic, and I don't just mean looks-wise.

But that's the move, at about the same price as the lone star and about a third of the weight, in an extremely resonant open back cab with a reverb straight out of a spy soundtrack and a tube tremolo that you could lull a wild animal to sleep with.

Kind of like my 66 ampeg gemini II in design, but minus 20 lbs, and with the 1/2 wattage feature.

and the guy is in Mass. and wants to sell locally? C'mon...