Hi guys,
Sorry to post yet another (Which amp should I buy) post, but if anyone can help I suspect you guys can. I own an original Mark I (original owner) from '78 or so. I had the factory go through the head and bring it back up to spec after sitting in storage for about 25 years while I stopped playing (sad story . . )
The amp works pretty much as I remember, great tone with various guitars and cabinets but far too loud for my family man lifestyle. Rather than choke the amp with an attenuator I'm thinking it might be time for this cheap old yankee to invest in something new.
Looking primarily for tones ranging from clean Tele to dirty Strat to bluesy LesPaul to fusion-y ES335 but at volumes that won't p*ss-off the neighbors. When I need high gain / lot's of headroom - I'll use the Mark I. Ideally I don't see much need for anything over 30 watts but I don't want to save money at the expense of tone. I suspect if I ever need more volume / headroom I can just mike the cabinet.
I have a vague preference for heads over combo's but looking for opinions there as well. I used to run the Mark 1 through a custom PA style mids cab (2-12 angled) loaded with JBL's and loved the tight tone but the volume is problematic at this point. I recently purchased a MB compact 1-12 half-back cabinet which sounds better at lower volumes but is somewhat boomy even with a Tele.
My guess is that I'm talking myself into a LSC or an Express 5:50'. I can't honestly say I can speak intelligently about the tonal differences between tube types. I can live with a combo if there's a significant difference in tone but as I said earlier I tend to learn towards heads / cabs for flexibility. Ideally I'd buy one of each - 5:25, 5:50, LSS, LSC, Mark IV - and perform a long-term side by side to narrow the field, but there a mortgage and college tuitions to pay. I look forward to your advise / comments.
cheers,
Jed
Sorry to post yet another (Which amp should I buy) post, but if anyone can help I suspect you guys can. I own an original Mark I (original owner) from '78 or so. I had the factory go through the head and bring it back up to spec after sitting in storage for about 25 years while I stopped playing (sad story . . )
The amp works pretty much as I remember, great tone with various guitars and cabinets but far too loud for my family man lifestyle. Rather than choke the amp with an attenuator I'm thinking it might be time for this cheap old yankee to invest in something new.
Looking primarily for tones ranging from clean Tele to dirty Strat to bluesy LesPaul to fusion-y ES335 but at volumes that won't p*ss-off the neighbors. When I need high gain / lot's of headroom - I'll use the Mark I. Ideally I don't see much need for anything over 30 watts but I don't want to save money at the expense of tone. I suspect if I ever need more volume / headroom I can just mike the cabinet.
I have a vague preference for heads over combo's but looking for opinions there as well. I used to run the Mark 1 through a custom PA style mids cab (2-12 angled) loaded with JBL's and loved the tight tone but the volume is problematic at this point. I recently purchased a MB compact 1-12 half-back cabinet which sounds better at lower volumes but is somewhat boomy even with a Tele.
My guess is that I'm talking myself into a LSC or an Express 5:50'. I can't honestly say I can speak intelligently about the tonal differences between tube types. I can live with a combo if there's a significant difference in tone but as I said earlier I tend to learn towards heads / cabs for flexibility. Ideally I'd buy one of each - 5:25, 5:50, LSS, LSC, Mark IV - and perform a long-term side by side to narrow the field, but there a mortgage and college tuitions to pay. I look forward to your advise / comments.
cheers,
Jed
