Small to medium size venues, amps and the FX8

BluesRock

BluesRock

Inspired
The FX8 is marketed to guitarists, like me, who enjoyed playing through tube amps. Due to size of venues my band preforms in, I have little to no need for a high wattage amp. Amps that offer watt switching options have worked best.

My current amps are a Mesa Express 5:50, Marshall DSL, and Peavey Classic 30. I’m considering switching to a Mark V: 10/25 (head) and am very interested in the new Marshall Astoria. The Astoria should be available late summer...the color schemes will be controversial but the specs are spot-on.

Is anyone here playing clubs and using a tube amp with watt switching options – with the FX8? If so, what amp are you using?
 
i play everything from small to large venues and the only amp i've owned for the past 3 years is a redplate blackloop 1x12 combo. i have the FX8 but it's not fully programmed yet. i've been using an axe fx II in front of the redplate (for effects only- no amp or cab modeling) and it sounds amazing! the FX8 sounds even better so i'm looking forward to using it within the next week or so. my redplate is a very LOUD 40 watts and only weighs 35 lbs. the blackloop has a high power and a low power switch on the back. i generally keep it set at high power but will occasionally switch to the low power setting on a jazz gig.

here's a link:

RedPlateAmps - RedPlateAmps Home
 
they are amazing sounding amps and very portable. henry could actually build you a lower wattage model if you'd like. he's always doing little tweaks to his amps if there's something you'd like to change
 
I will seriously consider one before pulling the trigger, jb70. What was the turn-around time in your case?
 
not sure i remember exactly how long it was. maybe a few weeks. i think it depends what henry has in stock. it wouldn't hurt to give him a call and tell him what you need. he's SUPER cool to speak with and will recommend exactly what you are looking for. i think i spoke to him for 30-40 minutes while i was ordering my amp. he asked me all kinds of questions: favorite guitar players, styles of music that i play, favorite tones, types of venues that i play, etc.... he's a shot of my rig

FullSizeRender.jpg
 
jb70 said:
not sure i remember exactly how long it was. maybe a few weeks. i think it depends what henry has in stock. it wouldn't hurt to give him a call and tell him what you need. he's SUPER cool to speak with and will recommend exactly what you are looking for. i think i spoke to him for 30-40 minutes while i was ordering my amp. he asked me all kinds of questions: favorite guitar players, styles of music that i play, favorite tones, types of venues that i play, etc.... he's a shot of my rig <img src="http://forum.fractalaudio.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=26416"/>
Click to expand...

Very nice rig
 
FX8 + Bella

I'm also awaiting delivery of a Suhr Bella. It's on the fedex truck as I write. Quite excited about this combination of amp & FX.

Have been considering - should it all work as planned - that with the addition of a 2nd Bella it could the most glorious stereo rig ever...
 
Like to hear your impressions on the Bella once you get some time with it Richard.. congrats. I like the stuff Suhr has been coming up with in the last few years.
 
hi,

Look at that! I guess I was one of the first German customers to buy a redplate years ago. First had a Tweedyverb, then went for a Blackloop like yours to have a little more headroom and a serial tube buffered efx loop which was a wise decision. I love this amp to bits. It takes pedals extremely well - in my case an Eventide H9, Ep Booster, Himmelstrutz Fitzo (low gain) etc., but to be honest there is not so much need for Overdrives and Boosts when you played the plain redplate. I had mine modded for a little more headroom as I used to play blackface fenders, tone king imperial, brunetti, swart and other good stuff. Loud cleans needed. Once I had the amp at my local guitar tech to take care of it and he was absolutely amazed by Henry's craftsmanship when he opened the chassis.
I love this amp so much that I asked Henry for an even smaller custom amp for extra small venues and ordered a 14 watt 6v6 amp with less knobs, efx loop and 10" speakeR, about the size of my long and gone 1964 vibrochamp. I may love this one even more, I don't know.
I hope the FX8 will be a good match for my amps and would be interested in a review. I am on the waiting list but delivery to Germany will take a little longer I guess...
I also thought about using the FX8 with a preamp that gives me a tubelike feel in case I am to lazy to take my whole rig to rehearsals and just plug into the PA. Which preamp would be a good choice? Are tubes recommended? The smaller the pedal the better. Or should I wait for an AX8? I wonder if fx amps and cabs can emulate what a tube preamp in a pedal can do. I never had fractal gear.
Hints are welcome, thanks...
 
I've played through a number of Redplate amps - they are really fantastic. Super flexible but still simple to use.
 
hippietim said:
I've played through a number of Redplate amps - they are really fantastic. Super flexible but still simple to use.
Click to expand...

Again, I hadn't heard of Redplate amps prior to this thread, although I constantly read gear articles and reviews. After spending more time on their website, they have moved up high on my list.
 
hippietim said:
I've played through a number of Redplate amps - they are really fantastic. Super flexible but still simple to use.
Click to expand...

BluesRock said:
Again, I hadn't heard of Redplate amps prior to this thread, although I constantly read gear articles and reviews. After spending more time on their website, they have moved up high on my list.
Click to expand...

definitely check them out bluesrock. i spent 10+ years searching for the perfect amp for playing in the NYC area. i needed something small-ish, lightweight, and portable but something that could keep up with a loud drummer without breaking up. i also needed something versatile since i do all kinds of gigs- jazz, funk, R&B, solo, experimental, rock, top 40, etc... i went through some really great amps (port city, allesandro, tone king, groove tubes, etc...) before i found redplate. i've had my blackloop for over 3 years now and it's been on every gig that i've done in that time and still kicks ass! the funny thing is that i haven't even used to overdrive channel on the amp. LOL. i just use the clean side and use the drive blocks in the axe fx II (i will be using the FX8 now) for my OD tones.
 
Hhuent said:
hi,

Look at that! I guess I was one of the first German customers to buy a redplate years ago. First had a Tweedyverb, then went for a Blackloop like yours to have a little more headroom and a serial tube buffered efx loop which was a wise decision. I love this amp to bits. It takes pedals extremely well - in my case an Eventide H9, Ep Booster, Himmelstrutz Fitzo (low gain) etc., but to be honest there is not so much need for Overdrives and Boosts when you played the plain redplate. I had mine modded for a little more headroom as I used to play blackface fenders, tone king imperial, brunetti, swart and other good stuff. Loud cleans needed. Once I had the amp at my local guitar tech to take care of it and he was absolutely amazed by Henry's craftsmanship when he opened the chassis.
I love this amp so much that I asked Henry for an even smaller custom amp for extra small venues and ordered a 14 watt 6v6 amp with less knobs, efx loop and 10" speakeR, about the size of my long and gone 1964 vibrochamp. I may love this one even more, I don't know.
I hope the FX8 will be a good match for my amps and would be interested in a review. I am on the waiting list but delivery to Germany will take a little longer I guess...
I also thought about using the FX8 with a preamp that gives me a tubelike feel in case I am to lazy to take my whole rig to rehearsals and just plug into the PA. Which preamp would be a good choice? Are tubes recommended? The smaller the pedal the better. Or should I wait for an AX8? I wonder if fx amps and cabs can emulate what a tube preamp in a pedal can do. I never had fractal gear.
Hints are welcome, thanks...
Click to expand...

wow, that little 14 watt redplate sounds amazing! perfect for jazz gigs :) that's what i love about henry, he will basically build anything you need and it's guaranteed to sound great! my blackloop sounds amazing with the FX8 in front of it. in fact, i'm not even using the effects loop. i just run it straight into the front.

as far as a preamp to use when you're not using a real amp..... i started playing with a band that uses IEM's and no amplification onstage. i've used the tech 21 flyrig 5 and it works really well. it's not super versatile, but for what it does, it does very well. i've also heard that the tech 21 character pedals are a good match for the FX8. i know hippietim has been doing this lately with excellent results. if you want an all-in-one solution, i would wait for the AX8.
 
jb70 said:
definitely check them out bluesrock. i spent 10+ years searching for the perfect amp for playing in the NYC area. i needed something small-ish, lightweight, and portable but something that could keep up with a loud drummer without breaking up. i also needed something versatile since i do all kinds of gigs- jazz, funk, R&B, solo, experimental, rock, top 40, etc... i went through some really great amps (port city, allesandro, tone king, groove tubes, etc...) before i found redplate. i've had my blackloop for over 3 years now and it's been on every gig that i've done in that time and still kicks ass! the funny thing is that i haven't even used to overdrive channel on the amp. LOL. i just use the clean side and use the drive blocks in the axe fx II (i will be using the FX8 now) for my OD tones.
Click to expand...

+1 exactly my words. I am also into small and beautiful rigs, even to the point that I played the same styles of music and the same amps as you including the port city which is absolutely unknown over here in Germany. Funny enough you did not use the OD section of your blackloop. Definitely worth trying - drive gain and level, all at 12 o clock or level at 2 o clock, and then kicking in your axe with some low OD as a third channel. This could be awesome and I have done this with a Himmelstrutz pedal in front of the amp. Kicks the dick right out of your hand as someone used to say here :)). Sometimes I push/pull the mid button and that gives you a different OD sound - you may like it...
 
jb70 said:
wow, that little 14 watt redplate sounds amazing! perfect for jazz gigs :) that's what i love about henry, he will basically build anything you need and it's guaranteed to sound great! my blackloop sounds amazing with the FX8 in front of it. in fact, i'm not even using the effects loop. i just run it straight into the front.

as far as a preamp to use when you're not using a real amp..... i started playing with a band that uses IEM's and no amplification onstage. i've used the tech 21 flyrig 5 and it works really well. it's not super versatile, but for what it does, it does very well. i've also heard that the tech 21 character pedals are a good match for the FX8. i know hippietim has been doing this lately with excellent results. if you want an all-in-one solution, i would wait for the AX8.
Click to expand...

Thanks indeed for the info. And here you will find a foto from my custom Redplate Lil red, 6V6, 14 watts, on top of my blackloop. The Lil Red has less knobs becuase I wanted tehe layout a bit simpler than on the other redplates. I did not need a treble and bass potis, only efficient mids:
IMG_4324.jpg
 

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