Feelin Bluesy? 

Top 3 Blues Amplifiers

So how do you acheive a quality blues tone? There are many contributing factors; guitars, effect pedals, acoustic quality, and the main focus here, the ampifier.  A quality blues amplifier should have a few specific characteristics.  

A quality blues amplifier should include a crisp, bold, clean tone. It should also should be able to create a crunchy tone with the same characteristics.  A good blues amp usually includes a reverb tone, and sometimes a tremelo effect.  

3. Vox AC30 Hand Wired

Vox has been making amplifiers for over 50 years, but the weird part is that they have made very little changes to a few amps since then.  The AC30 is an all tube that is handwired to ensure the clean tone that blues musicians are looking for.  This amp includes tremelo, reverb, and crunch to clean settings.  This amp typically comes as a 30w tube with 2 12" speakers allowing for a volume loud enough to be heard in medium sized venues without a cab microphone. 

2. Fender Tweed Delux

Fender is one of the oldest in the business, and one the most respected as well.  This specific amp model was designed for the blues guitarist.  This models been used by artists like Eric Clapton, Jerry Garcia, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and many other known blues artists.  This amp delivers a rich clean tone provided that it is also a 30w tube amp.  This little amp (one 12" speaker) delivers such a punch when its cranked up that artists use this amp for preformances in arenas provided with a small cab microphone.  This amp includes reverb, tremelo, and crunch setting in some of the newest models.  Older models use a second gain setting to deliver the same effect.  

1. Milkman Sideman

 Milkman is being considered number one because of everything it has to offer.  Thi model is a 50w vacuum tube amplifier with two channels.  The two channels allow for a more textured tone that allows for high sustain and use of effect channels.  There is one 15" speaker within this amplifier, but this amp delivers a very loud tone.  These amps are not factory made, they are indeed handmade by a man named Tim Marcus.  Each individual amp is crafted one at a time per order.  This amplifier has tremelo, reverb, and also a pedal steel setting.  This amp has a crisp crunch tone and the cleanest tone out right now.  This amplifier is a hidden gem in the world of blues amplifiers. 

Photos were taken from google images.  Specs of the amplifiers were taken from: http://milkmansound.com/amplifiers/sideman 

www.fender.com

www.voxamps.com