# Favourite Amp for a Pedal Platform?



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

I have a few amps, some get along with pedals, some don't and sometimes it depends on the pedal. Daydreaming about musical harmony I'm curious to hear what people have experienced as a "favourite" or "best" amp they've owned or used to get along with pedals. Anybody wanna share?


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## Moot (Feb 15, 2009)

My Rivera K-Tre Reverb has an incredible clean channel that I got just for running pedals. In fact, it's the only Rivera I've ever had that liked pedals, and it loves them!


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## noman (Jul 24, 2006)

Anything 6L6 based with a lot of clean headroom............


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I use the YBA-1 Tribute I recently acquired, with *just a wee touch* of hair on it, it works fantastic with my pedals, which are a lot of mid-high gain dirts and fuzzes primarily. Bonus, the attenuator in it works great. I do tend to like EL34 amps a bit better than 6L6 amps.

Best I had was my 1981 HiWatt Custom 50. Which I sold just before I was invited into a band *doh*.


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## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

Dr. Z Route 66, set like Keto said, just a touch of hair.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

I really have been considering another amp with either 6L6's or EL34's, favouring the latter a bit more.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

5E3

By far the best amp I have ever used with respect to playing nice with pedals.


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## Bohdan (Jan 19, 2012)

keto said:


> I use the YBA-1 Tribute I recently acquired, with *just a wee touch* of hair on it, it works fantastic with my pedals, which are a lot of mid-high gain dirts and fuzzes primarily. Bonus, the attenuator in it works great. I do tend to like EL34 amps a bit better than 6L6 amps.
> 
> Best I had was my 1981 HiWatt Custom 50. Which I sold just before I was invited into a band *doh*.




I second a YBA1. BEST


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

My 68' Princeton was about the best - just not loud enough


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

my AC15C1 sucks ass with pedals.

my valvetrain princeton clone does well with pedals. really opened up my eyes and showed me how bad my AC15C1 was with pedals actually. 

I think my tiny terror was even worse than the AC15

but my newly acquired Phaez JTM18 is the king of pedals in this house now.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Both of my Dr Zs like pedals, the Maz 18 and Maz 8.
The good Dr also has the M12, which was built as a pedal platform.
I just wondered why they didn't include an effects loop with it though.

Most, or all ProGuitarShop demos are done on a Fender DRRI.
Hard to beat the Fender cleans.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

blam said:


> my AC15C1 sucks ass with pedals.
> 
> my valvetrain princeton clone does well with pedals. really opened up my eyes and showed me how bad my AC15C1 was with pedals actually.
> 
> ...


What does the Phaez run for a power section? Sorry, I tried Google but at 6am and first coffee we are not getting along.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

sulphur said:


> Both of my Dr Zs like pedals, the Maz 18 and Maz 8.
> The good Dr also has the M12, which was built as a pedal platform.
> I just wondered why they didn't include an effects loop with it though.
> 
> ...


I have heard the Maz is fantastic with pedals! When I bought a Z it was between the Stang and the Maz, I ended up with the Stang but it's temperamental with pedals, loves some but not all. I agree the DRRI is great, a friend I play with just bought one and it works with everything on his board and my friend is no Andy though.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

vadsy said:


> What does the Phaez run for a power section? Sorry, I tried Google but at 6am and first coffee we are not getting along.


it has 2 el84s


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## zurn (Oct 21, 2009)

My Mack Gem, Traynor Yba-2 and Fender SF Champ love pedals but my Vox Lil Night Train is more picky. I find that in general amps that are too bright don't sound that good with pedals. That's probably why a popular mod on some amps is clipping the bright cap.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk HD


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## Cups (Jan 5, 2010)

My homebrew 5E3 isn't great with pedals either. I suspect open loop amps would be a clue as to why.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

blam said:


> my AC15C1 sucks ass with pedals.


I had the same experience 

The best I've had in terms of playing with pedals are a Traynor YGL3 combo (like a Twin, but with EL34s), and my current '59 Bassman RI. Absolutely great clean sounds out of both, and they make pedals really shine!


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

I love the Bassman RI I just need it in a 2x10 or something smaller than the beast it is off the shelf.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

zurn said:


> My Mack Gem, Traynor Yba-2 and Fender SF Champ love pedals but my Vox Lil Night Train is more picky. I find that in general amps that are too bright don't sound that good with pedals. That's probably why a popular mod on some amps is clipping the bright cap.
> 
> Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk HD


Yah. I clipped the bright caps on the vox and it helped a little but still not wonderful.


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

I have a EL84-based Phaez Daisycutter, had two different Champs and had a Fender Tweed Deluxe (5A3) and all of those seemed somewhat fussy about what pedals sounded good with them.

My '66 Bassman is a whole different ballgame - don't think there's a pedal made which wouldn't sound good through that. Cleaner vintage Garnets and Traynors are great with most pedals too, IME.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Oh lord I forgot the very bestest. VibroChamp. My Silverface '77 takes EVERY PEDAL EVER just perfectly. It just may not be appropriate for band use, unless you run it through a much bigger cab - it gets surprisingly loud through a 2x or 4x 12, if you can find one @4ohms.


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## Buzz (May 15, 2008)

Any old Garnet amp, Sessionman especially.


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## WCGill (Mar 27, 2009)

Sessionman, now there's a blast (literally) from the past, great amp. I'd think any BF or SF Fender would be golden here, but I'm not a pedal user so YMMV.


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## seanmj (May 9, 2009)

I do like my Valvetrain Trenton.... which has a 1x12 Emi Wizard in it. The speaker is 75-80 watts so it stays relatively clean at higher volumes. For some reason, there have been combos with that same speaker that me and my pedals didn't get along with... most recently the Carr Rambler. I always found that amp shrill no matter what pedal I stepped on.

The Valvetrain is however (to me) a lot more user friendly no matter what I throw at it... fuzz... MIAB/FIAB... or whatever.

Sean Meredith-Jones
www.seanmeredithjones.com


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