re: Amps. Already have a modeling amp or two.

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I want to sound like poor man’s Eric Clapton.

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Love the Derrick Claptone sound!

Bump.

I went to GC and played some tube and modeling and solid state.

Modeling it is Fender only to me. Everything else is just not as easy or user friendly.

Orange 35Crush (i believe) did sound great.

Tubes it is gonna be fender as well. Again, they are just simpler. I tried a Vox and did not like it. A 515? brnad of amp that looked great but sounded meh from what I could get out of the thing. Lots of features but have to jump through some hoops just to sit down and play clean.


Take away is these 3

A. Fender Mustang GT100 Modeling amp. Tons of sounds and the Fender cloud of tones from the app.

B. A solid state Orange. Can't make a good argument against it really.

C. Some type of Fender tube that I can afford in the used market.

I don't know if youve checked these out yet, but the Positive Grid Spark amp is really good. I use one as my practice amp and really like the sounds you can get from it. It's Bluetooth, so you can also play backing tracks through it, as well. The spark app is nice and easy to navigate. I think they go for around 250 if you're interested.

My guitar player just picked up a used Fender Champion 100. They are $400 new, but he got it in good shape for $300. Good sounding amp for the money and gets lots of decent tones.

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I have a Spark. Much of the higher gain stuff cuts out for me. We aren’t talking Swedish death metal stuff either. Just some Freddie or Albert King. Blues with a little stank on it and it drops notes.

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I've never had any issues like that with mine. That's weird. It can be a tad noisy, but I bought a different adapter with a ground and that fixed a lot of the noise. I wonder if you have the noise gate set to high.

Some of what you hear is coloring from the recording console. Rupert Neve has written about how the console can accentuate higher order harmonics that just make sound sweeter. API and Harrison consoles have it too,

You are correct, that "can" be lethally loud for the home/casual enthusiast. The Peavey Classics, however, do have master volume controls that control overall output and tame those beasts to a degree. I used a Classic 50 4x10 around the house in the 1990s without disrupting our then-toddler-aged kids.

Best thing to do if at all possible is try before you buy. Or buy from a seller - retail, private party or otherwise - who has a liberal return policy that will let you return if it's too much. Be prepared, however, to cover return shipping too if you back out. That's only fair.

Bluesbreakers

If you’re looking for clapton-esque tone, I suggest starting with this video from JHS Pedals.

That video explains what the Clapton bluesbreaker tone is, how he originally got it, and how musicians, pedal makers, and amp manufacturers have attempted to replicate it with varying degrees of success. If you watch the video, you’ll learn several options to get that tone through a clean style tube amp (think a fender tweed, twin reverb, blues jr, or hot rod deluxe).

We’re the Peavey Classics only made from the period you mentioned? 90’s-2000’s?

Meaning if it’s a Peavey Classic it’s going to be good? Or is there a period of time after 2000-whenever when they went to crap?

See a decent one on Guitar Centers site that’s a 30w for 300 and change. As you originally said that sounds like good bang for the buck.