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Old Amp vs. New Amp

Hi All!

I'm in search of a new amplifier and I am looking at new amps as well as older used amps.  There is some really great older gear out there for very reasonable prices, and of course the new stuff is considerably more expensive.

Is newer stuff really any better than some of the great older gear from the 90's and early 00's?

Opinions?
petrela
wolf_garcia
6,708 posts
 
Lots of new and slightly used stuff is inexpensive if you have the patience to look around. Ebay and Audiogon listings can be your friend.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,816 posts
 
Ha, good one Wolf! I love the Fender Deluxe, probably my all-time favorite guitar amp. Dwight Twilley's guitarist Bill Pitcock plugged (R.I.P., lung cancer) his Gibson 335 into a pair of them, with an MXR digital delay between the two, to get his signature sound. Evan Johns plugs his Tele into a blackface Deluxe Reverb, cranked to 10, though when I recorded with him the studio provided him with a blackface Super Reverb, which he also played on 10. Damn that was loud! But in a good way, unlike the nasty Twin Reverb, which I really dislike. A Strat into a Twin is my idea of Hell on Earth.
orpheus10
8,668 posts
 

Jafant, I am glad you asked what I have, and not what I had. CJ "Was" my favorite high end name, I own a PV-10, and a PV-12.

The PV-10A is up and running, it's probably the best buy in all of the high end. The PV-12 needs repair, but it wont get it; I decided CJ repair was too high, and consulted a shop in Canada; he told me that CJ parts were too expensive, and his advice was to forget it. CJ is history for me.
ct0517's avatar
ct0517
2,041 posts
 
he told me that CJ parts were too expensive, and his advice was to forget it. CJ is history for me. 


I don't buy that.
you may send me a pm if you would like one more option. 
orpheus10
8,668 posts
 


Petrela, I agree, provided you avoid SS unless you can replace the electrolytic caps yourself, and make sure they are available. Old "tube" equipment might be the best buy, but when you take into consideration high priced repair, that might not be a good idea either.

I recently bought an amp for the bedroom from "Parts Express", and was quite pleasantly surprised. For the main listening room I have PrimaLuna mono blocks, and I love them. People on a budget are between a rock and a hard spot when it comes to the "high end".

Those prices are the result of this hobby being invaded by too many people who know why they don't show prices anymore on a lot of gear; "If you have to ask, you can not afford it".
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