I've gone back and forth so many times on what kind of amp I want. I've finally come to the conclusion that I'd probably be best suited with a really good, versatile, single channel amp. I'll just run it clean right at breaking up and add gain with pedals.

One of my main reasons for this is that I LOVE chorus. I like using it with distortion too but post distortion. I realized if I was using an amp with a dirt channel I'd be running the chorus before the distortion which gets too wobbly and harsh. I could put it in the FX loop, but then I'd be running it before the amps circuitry ont he clean channel which would sound bad. Kind of a dumb reason to reconsider a channel switching amp but it got me thinking about the tones I like and how I like to play and the sound I'm after. The more I thought about it the more I realized I'd probably like just getting my dirt from pedals. I wouldn't be limited to just the amps gain stages. Plus I'd have just a clean place to start and just build onto.

So, with all that said. Thoughts on single channel amps and what are some suggestions? Something that's got good cleans but can break up good too?

Tweed Bassmans have gorgeous break up. A bit loud, though.

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crew

Selling BOSS FW-3. I live in Brazil, mind you, so prepare yourself for $30-ish for shipping and waiting. Local pickup available, along with beautiful beaches and cheap bitches.

Fender Princeton? I've often thought of getting one. If you love the chorus after the distortion and you want a decent chorus built-in you couldn't go too far wrong with a Roland offering. Maybe a Vox AC15?

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Rickenbacker 330/Gibson Les Paul Standard and a couple of amps, depending on how long the walk to the place is.

FS: Fender Telecaster Contemporary, Orange Thunder 30, Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp, Fender Vibro Champ.

There are lots of them.
Check out offerings from Dr Z for starters.
A Fargen Black Bird is an awesome single/clean amp.
There are dozens of others.
Best

My Egnater Tweaker has a great sound and works well at low volumes. It could probably get pretty loud if I ran it into a 4x12 too. Lots of tonal options with the Tweaker.

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Talking about wireless pedals...

What sort of price range are you looking at? On the more expensive you could look at a Suhr Badger. Blackface or tweed Fenders (even the reissues) sound great on the verge of breakup but as asatbluesboy pointed out, they're pretty loud at that point. Twins are insanely loud at that point but even the 40w Supers and Tremoluxes and things are loud. May need an attenuator for that sort of thing.

On the cheaper front there is a lot of love for the Jet City 20 watt single channel head... haven't tried one myself though. They're easy to track down if you want to try one though.

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Crustaceo ergo sum

I still swear by my Deluxe Reverb reissue. 22 watts, great cleans and a manageable volume (I run the volume as high as 3 in a home studio setting; it could go into the beginnings of breakup very easily if I had better soundproofing but would still give plenty of volume). It's an easily-obtainable blackface clean sound at a moderate output...if it helps, running an OCD or RAT through a Small Clone into it sounds great.

The Princeton has a lovely sound too as long as the 10" speaker doesn't bother you. They're fairly similar circuit-wise iirc.

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Guitar rig: CIJ Fender Jazzmaster/CIJ Fender Mustang -> TU-3 -> RV-5 -> OD-3 -> Magnetic Effects White Atom -> custom IC Muff -> PS-2 -> DD-3 -> Small Clone chorus -> RE-20 -> LS-2 -> Fender '65 DRRI & Mesa/Boogie F-50

Bass rig: Fender MIM Jazz Bass -> TU-2 -> RAT 2 -> Sansamp BDDI -> RV-3

"...So now you know the true secret to great tone: all the espresso you can handle."

Traynor may be something interesting to look into, I know the old heads were a pretty stable platform for cleans and a nice breakup. Played a couple that sounded cool.

Best cleans I've ever gotten was a Plexi into an oversized cab with greenbacks..... Crunched where I wanted it to, could drive well. Cleans brought tears to my eyes, because never heard something so grand.

Fender always has basic cleans, many amps are different, it all comes down to what you're looking for. I like the vintage princetons myself, just me though.

And second on the Dr. Z, something about those amps that just make it!

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ESP Eclipse Limited (3/100) or Gibson Les Paul Standard (97) - Fulltone OCD - H.B.E. Detox EQ - Laney GH50L - 80's Ibanez AD-9 (in loop) - Randall XL 4x12
Tortex "The wedge" picks, Blue Steel strings, Line 6 Moble In, Charvel Model 6 modded to a Model 5FX.... Probly other stuff as well

Wow guys. This is why I love this site. Everyone's so willing to help!

Price range? Lower than $1000 would be good but I suppose if I get this new job I'm looking at I could save up and go about $1200.

A Plexi would be great, or maybe a JTM 45. They tend to run a bit out of my price range though and are exceptionally loud amplifiers. MAybe somewhere down the road but not now. SAme for the Tweed Bassman. A little loud for what I need.

I was looking at some Orange amps. I can't seem to find a decent page on an Orange Overdrive anywhere. It's what Yoshiaki Manabe from The Pillows uses, which is a sound I'm SORT of going for. He has a good crunchy base to add dirt to. My guess is it's also out of my price range though.

The Princeton sounds pretty good, and DRRI is really what I'm leaning towards. 22 watts is plenty and like you said concretebadger, it'll break up good. my only worry is it's headroom. What if it breaks up TOO soon?

I'm also going to look into the Traynor, Egnater and Dr.Z (which I have heard of but never heard.)

Thanks guys. Anything else you want leave for me would be greatly appreciated!

If you're worried about a Plexi or JTM45 being too loud, then you certainly don't have to worry about the DRRI breaking up too early. It's actually got more clean headroom than either of the marshalls.

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I'm just two people short of a threesome.

Hmmm, the Pillows?? I'd say check out a Mesa Studio .22, may have the breakup you'd like on cleans, and can be clean when need be. Loud for a 22 watter, dark sounding like an Orange, has a second channel I never ended up using, but is usable, in a nice 1x12 combo. These can be found used for around $400 last time I checked.

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ESP Eclipse Limited (3/100) or Gibson Les Paul Standard (97) - Fulltone OCD - H.B.E. Detox EQ - Laney GH50L - 80's Ibanez AD-9 (in loop) - Randall XL 4x12
Tortex "The wedge" picks, Blue Steel strings, Line 6 Moble In, Charvel Model 6 modded to a Model 5FX.... Probly other stuff as well

Really? Well then. No the only thing between me and a JTM45 or Plexi is the cash. I am REALLY leaning towards the DRRI. BUt I won't decide totally on it until I check out most of the things you guys have suggested.

especially this on. It interest me a bit. I've heard of them but never played one. I have a friend at school who loves Mesa's. I'll talk to him about it to.

Mesas can have great cleans, but the wattage of them can be misleading and they're louder than you'd expect from just reading the specs. My F-50 is an absolute monster for volume...honestly, it's uber-loud even with the volume really far down. Its design owes a lot to the Studio .22's preamp stage apparently, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's a sonic wolf in sheep's clothing too!

When I think of the pillows I think of their older stuff when they were running Russian Muffs into Marshalls. As perfect as it is on cleans, a DRRI doesn't give the same sort of sound with a Muff running into it...a Marshall-style amp will probably recreate the gritty, beefy scooped tone better. A DRRI makes it sound smoother and mellower (although it's a bit fizzly on the trem channel at low volumes thanks to that cap across the inoput).

That's why I still have two amps I use regularly in case you're wondering...both have awesome clean channels, but they're very different.

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Guitar rig: CIJ Fender Jazzmaster/CIJ Fender Mustang -> TU-3 -> RV-5 -> OD-3 -> Magnetic Effects White Atom -> custom IC Muff -> PS-2 -> DD-3 -> Small Clone chorus -> RE-20 -> LS-2 -> Fender '65 DRRI & Mesa/Boogie F-50

Bass rig: Fender MIM Jazz Bass -> TU-2 -> RAT 2 -> Sansamp BDDI -> RV-3

"...So now you know the true secret to great tone: all the espresso you can handle."

Sorry, gonna have to argue a little here... The F-50 is more towards the DC-5 which is more towards the Studio Caliber 50....... Which was the bigger brother of the Studio .22... Different compliment of tube yields a different sound... EL84s will have a different breakup then 6L6s. Think of a Fender Bassman on crack, yielding a smaller combo, and more gain on tap... The Studio .22 is FREAKEN LOUD though. I used one jamming with Mike O. The drummer for the Jabbers, think GG Allen. Amazed me even more today, I used a regular Strat knockoff back then, all single coils..... And still got the muff fuzzy distortion with no pedals... All I used back then was a Small Clone chorus pedal.... Twas awesome, had a Studio .22 combo recently, and ran my OCD straight into the cleans, and got that sound all over again

I've owned a lot of Mesas, and well, I do have to admit, every combo from them I have played has something going for it..... And Orange, is quite close to the tones surprisingly.... Played a Rockerverb 50, and holy crap!!!! Played the AD30, and medium gain to me, but still sounds as good as dem old Boogie combos!!!! Thinking about this just makes me want to sit down with another Mark II or III.......... The Studio .22 is the beast from hell in the bunch!

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ESP Eclipse Limited (3/100) or Gibson Les Paul Standard (97) - Fulltone OCD - H.B.E. Detox EQ - Laney GH50L - 80's Ibanez AD-9 (in loop) - Randall XL 4x12
Tortex "The wedge" picks, Blue Steel strings, Line 6 Moble In, Charvel Model 6 modded to a Model 5FX.... Probly other stuff as well

Yeah back in the 90's they were playing Marshalls. What models though? And Yoshiaki Still gets some great tones out of his Orange Overdrive. He has the Blues Driver on and then kicks in his Russian Muff for some great thick fuzz tones.