Any good tube amp recomendations?

Originally Posted by: Nick LaytonI use a Carvin Legacy. Great sound and the price is extremely reasonable.

I'm debating on purchasing the combo or not. The thing is, I really love Steve Vai's lead tone, and it would obviously produce that tone, but that's not the only tone I need. I'm almost always playing clean (I'm a jazz buff, so I need that thick clean sound), and I don't know if this amp could handle the clean tone I'm looking for. Do you think the amp could handle clean jazz (ala pat martino, jim hall or joe pass) in addiion to handling the lead sound that is so stellar (obviously I'm using different guitars to get the different sounds, but if possible I would like one amp to use, rather than switching around)? The demos I heard at the carvin site don't have any classic jazz sounds, and since it's a carvin, I can't test it at guitar center...

And how is it for playing blues (SRV)?

Thanks a lot!

Actually, to be honest the amp does not sound even remotely like Vai's sound by just plugging in. He's got a lot of other stuff going on that gives him his sound. I'm not saying you could't get a sound close to his...just that it doesn't sound like that out of the box.
The beauty of this amp is it's versatility. It is a lot less harsh than say, a Marshall. Great clean sound. Very warm lead tones. Of course, a lot depends on your settings. I would imagine you could get a great clean jazz sound. I can get just about any tone I want from this amp with the aid of an overdrive pedal and delay box

Originally Posted by: alucard0941How distorted does it get at medium volumes?

Mine gets a lot of gain at lower volumes....of course there is more the louder it is..

Nick Layton, You're definitely winning me over. I have been looking at it for awhile, but I just need to make sure it isn't a one trick pony before I put down my $$$. What I have been looking for is the clean jazz sound, the warm/soaring lead tone (much like Vai's or even Trey Anastasio's) and the blues grit (SRV). Those tones I suppose are the big three for me.

Thanks for the advice.

No problem Ace...also, don't forget Carvin does offer a 10 day trial in which you can test the amp and return it for a full refund, if you wish(bet'cha won't).

Whats your opinion on the Carvin MTS? Hows it differ from the legacy

It's really hard to compare the MTS and the Legacy...two totally different sounding amps. I'm no expert on the mts, but to my ears it was a lot more "gainy" and a bit harsher than the Legacy.

yea, so far im kinda leaning towards the MTS. And its price is really making me consider. But I still can find anywhere to buy Carvin products. Where did you purchase your Legacy?

I live in California and buy directly from the store. However, you can order online at carvin.com