# Suggestions On Amp For A Tele



## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I am thinking about getting another amp to match up with my tele. I don't think I want a tube amp but I won't totally rule it out. It will be used mostly for practicing and jamming with friends so it doesn't need to be real loud. I have a few preferences but I'll keep that to myself so I don't prejudice any of your suggestions. I don't mind going the used route either as long as it's used and not abused.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

Why not just get an EP Booster or an EQ pedal?


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

how about a Mesa Mark V?


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

Any particular budget in mind? Teles seem to sound great through just about anything. I rented a Vox AC4 (12” speaker version) last year and it sounded great with my Tele. They aren’t expensive, either. You could also try a Pro Junior, although they will get loud if you turn them up. And of course, a Tele with a Tweed is a classic combination.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

how about a Line6 Spider?


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

A Tele and a tweed clone Fender amp are a match made in heaven. A 5E3 Deluxe or a 5F4 Super could be absolutely stellar. Go clone!


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

how about a Vox AC15?


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

keithb7 said:


> A Tele and a tweed clone Fender amp are a match made in heaven. A 5E3 Deluxe or a 5F4 Super could be absolutely stellar. Go clone!


Who makes a 5E3 and 5F4?


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

Well if you aren't up to building one, you could seek out a clone. They come up used for sale.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

how about a Traynor Ironhorse?


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Dumble. But get it shipped to the border, the Canadian ones are crazy expensive.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

jdto said:


> Any particular budget in mind? Teles seem to sound great through just about anything. I rented a Vox AC4 (12” speaker version) last year and it sounded great with my Tele. They aren’t expensive, either. You could also try a Pro Junior, although they will get loud if you turn them up. And of course, a Tele with a Tweed is a classic combination.


Probably around $300.00. There are some good deals at GC. I ski close to the border so it's just a short drive to go over and pick it up in the USA. Here are some examples all in good or great condition.......

Roland 15W - $50.00
Fender Mustang 1 - $60.00
Vox AD15VT - $70.00
Line 6 Spider II 120W - $100.00
Traynor Reverb Mate 40 - $129.00
Vox VT50 - $160.00
Fender Mustang III or Super Champ XD - $200.00


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

The Fender Mustangs are pretty darn good amps and can get you a decent variety of amp and effects sounds. Great bang for your buck. The Mustang 3 has the added benefit of the LCD allowing you to program your presets right on the amp. It can play softly but goes pretty loud. I had one and it was fun. Then GAS got me and I’ve been through a bunch since.


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

Also, is that $200 US for the 3? I’ve seen them on Kijiji for $250-300 CAD


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

jdto said:


> Also, is that $200 US for the 3? I’ve seen them on Kijiji for $250-300 CAD


Yes, but it is in excellent condition. For good condition $175.00


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

I'm currently investigating the Roland Blues cube. Its getting some great reviews for its tube modeling technology. I'm looking at the artist which is on the expensive side for a solid state but they do have the stage model which is less expensive and less power. All the models come with a power attenuator that seems to work very well according to the youtube videos I've watched.
Even the blues cube stage is expensive at $799. There is the blues cube hot for $100 less but I don't think that particular model comes with the attenuator.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Proper 'attenuators' make no sense for solid state amps. Same with power scaling. A good MV is all that's necessary. The OD tone will be generated by the preamp, why would anyone want to work a SS output stage to distortion? Marketing hulaballoo, IMO.


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## LanceT (Mar 7, 2014)

@Steadfastly - you likely won't see this but if you can find a Fender SCXD, they are quite a versatile amp for home use and jams without a thunderous drummer.


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## BSTheTech (Sep 30, 2015)

1957 Tweed Deluxe. Period. Will run you about $3500 (USD). Anything less would be sacrilegious.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

Out of that list I'd say the Mustang III by a long shot. You need to be prepared to tweak the hell out of the factory settings though.

Of course a lot of this may depend on the Tele. If you're looking at $60 amps one wonders what kind of Tele you have.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

davetcan said:


> Out of that list I'd say the Mustang III by a long shot. You need to be prepared to tweak the hell out of the factory settings though.
> 
> Of course a lot of this may depend on the Tele. If you're looking at $60 amps one wonders what kind of Tele you have.


knowing Steadly, It's probably a Suhr...


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

davetcan said:


> Out of that list I'd say the Mustang III by a long shot. You need to be prepared to tweak the hell out of the factory settings though.
> 
> Of course a lot of this may depend on the Tele. If you're looking at $60 amps one wonders what kind of Tele you have.


The list was just to show what's available. I don't need anything too powerful as it will likely never leave the house unless it's to go to someone else's house. I was thinking of the Fender Mustang III as well.


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## Guest (Dec 18, 2017)

davetcan said:


> Of course a lot of this may depend on the Tele.


I believe it was a SX.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

laristotle said:


> I believe it was a SX.


You are correct sir. Now, go to the head of the class.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

I thought about this thread today. A guitar playing friend of mine asked me what kind of amp he should buy. 
Mainly an acoustic player, he's just nicely getting into electric. He bought a little Fender Frontman 15 about a year ago, and he's already outgrown that sound.
"what kind of amp should I buy?" is a very hard question. There are no easy answers.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

What about thoughts on the Boss Katana KTN-50?

Boss - KATANA Guitar Amplifier 50watt 1-12'' Speaker


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## TheYanChamp (Mar 6, 2009)

An amp for a tele...

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/sony-2...Ef7BHC2tv46bge4dLuhNVoEDv7uce4mxoCifAQAvD_BwE


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

TheYanChamp said:


> An amp for a tele...
> 
> https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/sony-2...Ef7BHC2tv46bge4dLuhNVoEDv7uce4mxoCifAQAvD_BwE


Cute, Yan, cute. I already have something like this for my "other" telly.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Easy. Buy the biggest Fender tube amp amp you can afford and can carry.


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## Moot (Feb 15, 2009)

There's a Venus 3 for sale in the Emporium. It's the perfect iteration of the Super Champ.
One of the best grab-n-go amps I've ever used.


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## VanillaTrice (Feb 24, 2016)

Steadfastly said:


> What about thoughts on the Boss Katana KTN-50?
> 
> Boss - KATANA Guitar Amplifier 50watt 1-12'' Speaker


+1 to this. 

I have one of these in my office for practicing at lunch. So far this is the best SS practice amp I have played through. It responds very similarly to my tube rigs and has more built in effects than you'll ever need (and as they are all boss designed they sound pretty darn convincing). The scalable power settings are fantastic if noise considerations are worth mentioning. Oh yeah, it's solid state so you will be saving money long term not replacing tubes if that is also something you want to take into consideration.

I saw a super-champ listed here somewhere as well. Those can be had for not a lot of money and are also quite versatile if you are set on a Fender. I've been looking around for one of those as well to capture some nice fender tube sound cleans in a practice scenario, although in all honesty, my Katana is pretty darn close to that sound on its clean channel, at least to my ears.

I wouldn't really recommend Mustangs if you are planning on having this for a while. I bought one of those when I was starting out years ago and found I 'outgrew' the sound of that fairly quickly and wanted something tube with more dynamics responsive to my guitar controls. Everyone is different mind you, and you just may end up really digging the sound of a mustang. 

I suppose the only real response to this is to go and try out as many amps as you can in your budget and let your ears decide for you. 

Good luck with the search!


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

One of my friends has a Katana and really likes it. They have gotten a lot of positive feedback and I like Boss stuff. I think that's what I will go for.


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## DavidP (Mar 7, 2006)

keithb7 said:


> A Tele and a tweed clone Fender amp are a match made in heaven. A 5E3 Deluxe or a 5F4 Super could be absolutely stellar. Go clone!


I agree about the 5E3 Tweed Deluxe and Tele pairing -- doesn't get much better than that. Build a clone/kit with quality parts rather than search for vintage -- I built a 5E3 with Weber 12A125 in 2003 with a few tweaks and will never part with it! Another great pairing is a 5E5a tweed pro w 15" speaker (essentially the 5F4 circuit).


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## stratman89 (Oct 13, 2008)

Steadfastly said:


> One of my friends has a Katana and really likes it. They have gotten a lot of positive feedback and I like Boss stuff. I think that's what I will go for.


I've been playing guitar for 50 years and been a tube snob all those years. I thought I would change my perspective and I bought a Roland Blues Cube Artist last year after reading and hearing all the rave reviews. Love the BCA, very tube-like. I've been using it for the new band I'm in.

I just bought a Katana 50 and took it to band practice today..............wholly crap does this thing sound good. I'll be gigging with for the next four days so we'll see how it performs. The one thing I noticed was how smooth the amp cut through the band mix with tight, articulate tone at a good volume. The onboard effects are very good as well.

I still use my Marshall 1974x in another band and will never part with that tube amp.

Let us know what you think if you get the Katana.

Oh yeah, my main guitar is a '52 RI 'Thin Skin' Tele.


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## JPMarcotte (Oct 19, 2018)

I Own a TRAYNOR YCV80, it is a beast, really versatile, very loud. The clean channel was perfect for my taste. But It stopped working, there’s a connection problem somewhere. I did Bring it to a tech, local store in Sherbrooke city, QC. They told me that there’s a recall on a piece by traynor. They ordered it, I waited for 6 MONTHS. The store went bankrupt. So the amp was never fixed.

Sometime I can play with it from 10 minutes to 40 minutes and it stop. Frustrating.
I bought the cheapest MUSTANG FENDER V.1 to practice and I own some small blackstar FLY 3 to play outside.

I will be making some gig soon and since I can’t relate on my Traynor.

So today, I bought the BOSS KATANA 100. The review are good and it can switch to 05, 50 and 100 Watts, 
Nice feature for my need. Can’t wait to play with it, pretty impress so far. Couldn’t play with the software yet to get some personal tones. The generic ones are nice to play with. I would appreciated more Modern Metal but nothing my pedals can’t fix. I’m thrilled to really give it a try. 

I Own a Gibson SG, All Maple. Raw Power.


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2018)

Welcome to the forum JPM


JPMarcotte said:


> So today, I bought the BOSS KATANA 100.


I have one too. Haven't played with it much. I'm still getting a feel for the software.
When hooking up to your computer, make sure to install the drivers first.
https://www.boss.info/global/support/by_product/katana-100/updates_drivers/
BOSS - Support - KATANA-100 - Owner's Manuals
Here's a helpful site;
VGuitar Forums - Index


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## BEACHBUM (Sep 21, 2010)

For portable practice and jam amps I went with these two.

Blues Jr









Boss Katana


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I've found 2 pretty different amps to be great from my experience owning lots of teles and amp. A small to mid sized tweed circuit, and a Princeton Reverb.

There are definitely budget options, I'm only passing on that you can really go wrong with either amp as far as getting some classic tones.

I've loved the tones I have heard on the Vox MV series stuff as far as something outside a typical tube amp for cheap. But no personal experience yet.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

This, your welcome.lol


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

marcos said:


> This, your welcome.lol
> View attachment 230358


Yep that's another. When I said low wattage tweed, I completely forgot bkackface/silverface champ.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

I know the OP has gotten an amp by now, but AC15s and AC30s can sound sensational with Teles.


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