Great Amps for a 345 or Stereo 355
I was going to write part 2 of my rant but decided to let it go for awhile. I have to be in a rant mood to rant and I’m just too tired today to rant. So, it’s a rant free post. Let’s talk about amps. Most guitars pair well with a particular amp and not so well with others. I’ve played my 335s and 345s through about 50 amps which, frankly, given the number of amps available, isn’t all that many. I’m going to skip the boutique amps for now since I don’t generally know that much about them and I haven’t played through all that many of them. I have, however, played through a lot of vintage amps and I have some pretty strong opinions about what sounds great with a 335 and with a 345. I’m going to start with the 345 because, as a stereo guitar, it has some special needs. There aren’t a lot of stereo amps but you can play it through 2 channels of the same amp or 2 separate amps. The amp that makes these guitars absolutely sing is the Gibson GA 79RV or RVT. Fifteen watts x 2-it’s stereo-and, if it has the right speakers, it’s amazing. Mine was a 61 tweed version with a pair of original cone P10Qs. Great musical tone with plenty of harmonics and excellent mids and highs. Tube saturation and breakup from about 6. The cool thing is that you can play one pickup through one side and the other pickup through the other. So, instead of having that “middle tone” that you get out of the middle position, you get the treble of the bridge pickup completely separate from the neck pickup and its dark tones. You can throw the “mono” switch on the amp and both pickups go through both speakers. A lot of articles will tell you that you can bridge the power to be 30 watts but I don’t believe that to be true. It sounds equally as loud in stereo and mono and it ain’t no 30 watts. Got to play a big venue and you need more than 15 watts? Mike it through the PA.
This isn't mine but it's just like it. I was surprised at how small it was when I first saw one. This the RVT (reverb/tremolo) version
It’s a cool looking amp as well-kind of a trapezoid in order to separate the speakers. The later ones (after 61) use different speakers and they don’t sound as good. The ones with the C10Qs sound pretty close, although I like alnico speakers better than ceramics. However, by the time they stopped making them, they were using CTS speakers (I think) which I just don’t like. They can be dull and farty. The tremolo isn’t very good but I never use it and the reverb is somewhat unusual. It works differently from most reverbs in that it has its own preamp and the reverb gain doesn’t affect the overall volume. The only real issue is that it’s only on one channel and with a stereo guitar, it would be nice to be able to have it one both. Same with the tremolo. The amp is powered by four EL-84s which give you some nice chime. It is most unFenderlike. Runner up? The uber rare Guild 200S is a screamingly loud stereo amp that runs off a four EL 34s and has a pair of 12″ speakers. I don’t love the speakers but the amp is articulate and can be very clean at very high volume. It gets gritty but you have to be in Yankee Stadium to get there without blistering the paint on your walls. If you have an amp that you’ve used with a stereo 355 or 345, let me know. I’d love to hear your experiences since there are so few players who use the stereo function in a 345.
Rare, rare, rare. I've only seen one in tweed and a couple in Silver Tolex. What a cool amp. I wish I had one. It's supposed to be 50 watts x 2 and it sounds like 200. With 4 EL 34s, I'm not surprised. That's a lot of firepower.
With my late 60’s ES345 stereo guitar I have been using 2 Deluxe Reverbs, both BF 60’s models.Mostly using the reverb – tremolo channel on each amp. I try to fix the 2 amps sounds different one from the other.
While playing only one DR I use one channel for each PU with little reverb or no reverb at all. I hate to cary 2 amps each time I play so thats the solution but this way you don’t get the real stereo.To have the true stereo tone you have to play 2 amps set differently left and right side.
I may use a additional AB box for one of the amps for switching and go with some cool tremolo + reverb + chorus – distortion pedal to one of the amps.This effects will bring more stereo effect to the sound picture.
Everything sounds good through a BF Deluxe reverb-one of the true “desert island” amps. Isn’t there a phase issue when you use 2 channels of a Fender Blackface?
There shouldn’t be a phase issue unless you are playing both pickups through both channels which defeats the entire purpose of a stereo setup.
I’d love to hear from anyone who knows where I can find a Guild like the one in the post-especially in tweed.
I had a´63 GA-79RVT and it sounded pretty good. But not loud enough to gig – it was tight even on a duo gig with a piano player! Charlie is right about wattage: max 15 watts stereo or mono. It also takes a lot of space and is very difficult to position on a stage: you can’t hear both speakers best possible way at the same time. And how often you have a luxury for a real good PA… But at home and in a studio very nice.
But next I’m gonna check out Ampeg Echo Twin or Super Echo Twin! I havent tried them on a gig (yet) but many say they should be loud enough. And Ampeg’s tend to have great reverbs too. And they might be able to be found much cheaper than GA-79RVT. Here’s a link for a very nice vintage stereo guitar amp review including both amps plus nice Magnatone:
http://www.ggjaguar.com/stereo.htm
Thanks. I don’t gig any more but I probably wouldn’t use a GA79. I’d probably just bring one of my tweed Fenders and plug into 2 channels.
Hi, a late reply. I know you guys are all wealthy and are mostly looking at super rare and costly vintage gear here.
But what is wrong with a modern Roland Jazz Chorus amp?
I have the JC-40, twin stereo or mono inputs. So two separate power amps, one to each speaker, one dry and the other colored.
Using the mono inputs it sounds really good, but I bought it hoping I’d find an ES-345 or 355 in stereo.
Since there is an effects loop out the back, I don’t have to but all stereo effects, although they might also add too the sound.
Since I can’t afford the super expensive gear, I’m working to live closer to reality.
Yep, we’re all zillionaires here and can afford everything we talk about. Or not. The best amp is the one that sounds good to you regardless of price. One of the best amps I ever owned
was a 1954 Supro Spectator. Cost me $600. It was a one trick pony but it was a great trick.