Good amp for 80's rock?

[tremoloman]

I love my Fender Hot Rod DeVille but I've have feedback problems with it when playing live. When I turn it up to get some punch it feedbacks through any moderate distortion. Being a 4x10" setup it sounds crystal clear and great for classic rock but lacks that oomph.

Can any of you recommend a rig comparable in price ($800) that would be a good choice for regular gigs?

I know there is always a trade-off so there must be some model that fits in between.

My only prerequisites are:

1. Tube driven
2. 50W or more
3. Can still play clean to suit my Strats and Jazzmaster


I will most likely keep the Hot Rod but sell off my "Peavey Classic 50 Power Pack". It's a killer amp and sounds incredible but just doesn't work for what we play live.

Regards,
Trem

 

[Robert]

Maybe the Peavey XXX or perhaps the Peavey Valve King?

Laney GH50L?

Vox AC30CC would be great for you, although it's not 50w - but it's loud!

 

[oldguy]

Maybe a Traynor? Like the YCV50 Blue. Great sounding, 50w, 1-12" Celestion, you might need an ext. cab w/ it.

Or the Traynor YCV80, can be had in 2x12 or 4x10 configuration, a little differently voiced than the blue, but still a good sound.

I own the YCV40WR Anniversary 1x12 combo and a friend of mine owns the YCV80 2x12 combo. We both like them.

If you get the chance, you might want to play one, Trem. Traynors get a nice round, clear, chimey clean sound, and the OD sounds really good IMHO.
I like to set the OD just barely breaking up, and then use the "boost" on the footswitch to really cut through (it's a loud boost).

I don't know how loud you need clean for live playing. Most agree that the blue 50 watter has the best "British" sound, the 40 watter breaks up nice when cranked, and the 80 watter gets really frickin' loud and stays clean.

I think you can buy any of them for under $800, and they're made in Canada and have a solid reputation AFAIK. I've owned mine 5 yrs. and did nothing except change tubes, cause I like JJTeslas.
I'd say play one if you get the chance,tho, because I don't know if the feedback would go away. I've got one strat copy that always feeds back at high volumes through any amp, when none of the others do. I blame it on micrphonic PU's. I can hear the trem springs vibrating through any amp I run it through when I shake or bump it.

 

[Spudman]

80's rock is a JCM 800. Not always, but hair metal yes.

A Peavey 5150 or Peavey JSX would do the trick too.

The other thing you could do is to add a Marshall JMP preamp to the front of your Deville. The old ADA preamps are good too or a Rocktron preamp. That would allow you to get the sound at lower volume.