What's a great blues amp?

[TheDraeg]

So I'm a metal guy, but I do own a strat and dig stuff like SRV..
I currently use a Blackstar HT100 through a 5150 4x12 and it rips, but not ideal for some blues tones that really move the soul..
What are some decently priced (hopefully under $500) amps that will pair nicely with my strat for solid tones along the lines of SRV, Bonamassa, Kenny Wayne Shepard, etc.
PS: pedal recommendations are appreciated as well.
Sincerely,
Blues Noob

 

[Devyn Eclipse Nav]

I'd start with a good fender tube amp and an EHX Soul Food OD, and then go from there

 

[yingmin]

Aside from Fender, look at the Peavey Classic series.

 

[areyna21]

Blues jr or deluxe were always my favorite for that stuff. With a tubescreamer it will give you what your looking for. You could always try other overdrives but the fender blues series is really good.

 

[gizmi7]

Boost a Blackstar's clean channel with an overdrive pedal, f.ex. the Boss Blues Drive or a TS808; you can try an EHX Soul Food - it all depends on the sound you are willing to get.

 

[Albionic]

I've been really gassing for a fender superchamp x2 modelling front end tube power section very cheap

 

[alvo]

+1 on the Peavey Classic. For pedals I've had great blues experience with:

Mad Professor - Sweet Honey Overdrive (my absolute favorite overdrive)
Ibanez - Tubescreamer
Tone Monk - Seed of Life
Catalinbread - Dirty Little Secret MKIII
Boss - Blues Driver

Can't really go wrong with any of these overdrives, but for SRV just go with a Tubescreamer.

 

[G_3_3_k_]

Fender is where it's at for sure. I'd personally get a Twin or a Hot Rod Deluxe. A TS808 on the front end of a Fender is a classic blues combo. You won't need much by way of FX. They really are unnecessary in Blues. Maybe a chorus and a verb at max.

 

[perttime]

SRV used some different amps: Marshalls, Fenders, a Dumble...
gear

It is quite possible that there are blues tones inside the Blackstar too - with a little tweaking of its settings.

Conventional wisdom would be to try some Fenders, or their copies and derivatives.

 

[G_3_3_k_]

For what it's worth, Bonamassa has used everything amp wise. Everything. Carol Anne, Fuchs, etc. If it's boutique he's had one and hates it. He did a masterclass at my school. Half the time, he talked shit about his $50,000 guitar rig that included a Dumble. He was saying he wanted to throw all of it in the dumpster because it made too much noise. Sounded like it was just a grounding issue with this set up. He plays well and has stellar tone. Don't get me wrong. But he's the biggest entitled prima donna I've encountered. Seriously acted like a complete prick towards students who couldn't learn what he wasn't showing them at speed and refused to play any slower. Biggest douche I've met in the music industry. And I see Wayne Coyne around town on a weekly basis.

 

[Rook]

Matchless, Rivera, Marshall, Fender, Blackstar, Cornell... Blues is one of those things that's so loose, you can kinda use anything.

 

[theronaldchase]

For what it's worth, Bonamassa has used everything amp wise. Everything. Carol Anne, Fuchs, etc. If it's boutique he's had one and hates it. He did a masterclass at my school. Half the time, he talked shit about his $50,000 guitar rig that included a Dumble. He was saying he wanted to throw all of it in the dumpster because it made too much noise. Sounded like it was just a grounding issue with this set up. He plays well and has stellar tone. Don't get me wrong. But he's the biggest entitled prima donna I've encountered. Seriously acted like a complete prick towards students who couldn't learn what he wasn't showing them at speed and refused to play any slower. Biggest douche I've met in the music industry. And I see Wayne Coyne around town on a weekly basis.

I agree completely. It was an awful learning experience for sure.

 

[axxessdenied]

In your price range pick up a nice used fender hot rod deluxe.

 

[Promit]

A Marshall DSL or a Vox AC15 would be good choices too.

 

[technomancer]

For what it's worth, Bonamassa has used everything amp wise. Everything. Carol Anne, Fuchs, etc. If it's boutique he's had one and hates it. He did a masterclass at my school. Half the time, he talked shit about his $50,000 guitar rig that included a Dumble. He was saying he wanted to throw all of it in the dumpster because it made too much noise. Sounded like it was just a grounding issue with this set up. He plays well and has stellar tone. Don't get me wrong. But he's the biggest entitled prima donna I've encountered. Seriously acted like a complete prick towards students who couldn't learn what he wasn't showing them at speed and refused to play any slower. Biggest douche I've met in the music industry. And I see Wayne Coyne around town on a weekly basis.

I agree completely. It was an awful learning experience for sure.

That's actually surprising and counter to most things I've heard from people that met him. Wonder what was up that day

It also really has nothing to do with what the thread is about so lets get back on topic please.

 

[vansinn]

Fender Twin Reverb or Blackface.

Maybe try keeping you current setup and add an ADA APP-1 pedal in front of it, set to virtually no distortion, but being there as a pre-gain/filter with it's excellent dynamics behavior.

 

[G_3_3_k_]

That's actually surprising and counter to most things I've heard from people that met him. Wonder what was up that day

It also really has nothing to do with what the thread is about so lets get back on topic please.

I was just trying to illustrate that opinion is just that. Joe has his opinion about tone and it isn't necessarily what others hear. It's HIS tone that others hear. Not the amps.

 

[Lance Thrustgood]

So I'm a metal guy, but I do own a strat and dig stuff like SRV..
I currently use a Blackstar HT100 through a 5150 4x12 and it rips, but not ideal for some blues tones that really move the soul..
What are some decently priced (hopefully under $500) amps that will pair nicely with my strat for solid tones along the lines of SRV, Bonamassa, Kenny Wayne Shepard, etc.
PS: pedal recommendations are appreciated as well.
Sincerely,
Blues Noob

Get a vintage or reissue Fender Twin. Nuf said...

 

[alvo]

With your budget, you have a few options with Fender: Hot Rod Deluxe, Hot Rod Deville, Princeton. I've only tried the Hot Rod Deluxe of these three. The cleans+reverb were nice and with an overdrive pedal it worked out great, but the distortion/overdrive channels were lacking.

 

[alvo]

But if you can save up, go with a Twin Reverb as mentioned before.