Best amp for $800-$1300

Im looking for an amp that is in the $800-$1300 price range. Something like a Vox ac30c2 or a Fender hot rod deluxe. But please recommend other choices from here. I want versatility because I play both clean and overdriven.

I looked at who you follow to try and get a feel for what music you wanna play, and it's pretty varied! Can you give an idea of what styles/genres you want to sound like?

those 2 amps aren't remotely similar.... I would stay away from the chinese voxes with PCB mounted power tubes. Depending on the generation of the hot rod amp you're buying they vary a lot. Every version features improvements to sound quality but also cost-cutting measures that reduce build quality...

Best Amp I can suggest is my personal favorite of the Carvin V3 Amp Head.

It's got 3-Channels, one Clean, two Drive, so you can get about any sound you want out of it, it's Tube Driven, can be set for 4, 8 or 16 Ohms and can feed two Cabinets. The manufacturer's page has more info on it than I can remember.

I'm not sure if they're still making these Amps but I found this listing on Reverb for $800, says it's Mint Condition and it is in your price range however this one is pretty expensive as I've seen other listings for $400 - $600.

I usually play alt-rock.

I also play cleans.

Also note that I listed those 2 amps because they were in my price range.

I gotta tell ya, for that money I would probably be looking for a used JCM800 50 watt, the 2204. It'll be up at the top end of your price range but it'll probably never break down. For a little less a 90s laney GH50L is a great alternative. If you're slick you can get an ac30 HW for that too. There are still some silverfaced fenders in that pricerange but that's not the golden age of fender. You really need to know what you're looking for. For instance, JCM800 need vertical inputs. Horizontal inputs are board mounted and prone to breaking. In your price range there aren't a lot of new amps worth buying anymore if you're a gigging musician. reliability is down.

More features is generally more failure points.... in this day and age the build quality doesn't support them at this price point. Markup is crazy. Everything is made flimsily in china and nothing is off-board anymore which is bad in an amp that gets hot and then gets jostled in a van or trunk before and after shows.

If you're not going to gig much, go with whatever though. Use your ears. Alternative is really broad.

EDIT: in modern amps I'm rather impressed with the new roland/boss solid state stuff that tries to sound like a tube amp. Fender is doing soemthing similar.... and frankly I love my little quilter pedalboard amp. It really doesn't sound like a bunch of transistors. They make bigger, better ones. Am I selling my ac30s to go quilter? no. But these new generation solid state amps are voiced very nicely, love pedals and are insanely reliable and maintenance free.

and on a good day I've seem Soldano Hot Rod 50s and ocassionally 50+ sell for about $1200 to $13000 and you really can't go wrong there for what you wanna do.

I think I am now able to extend the budget to amps under $2500

I think I am now able to extend the budget to amps under $2500

world's your oyster, what do you like? An 800 is a good call.... want some fender tone and switching? Soldano Hot Rod 50+ maybe? Or that other one that has the Twin Channel and 2203 type channel, cannot remember the model, might be discontinued but its a great amp as far as switchers go. Very 90s alt rock tones. Everyone used a twin or a marshall then.... hell I'm from the tail end of that time and I used showmans and superleads togther. But 1 amp is easier. Personally if I wanted to spend $2500 bucks on an amp I would just buy a pre-PCB Hiwatt, Hylight /Harry Joyce era LOL

Well, I realize this is like right at $2500 but what about a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier? It's 150 Watts, Tube-Driven, 3-Channel and has five output jacks (Two 4-Ohms, Two 8-Ohms and One 16-Ohm) so you can power multiple Cabinets with different Ohm-Ranges at the same time.

I think I am now able to extend the budget to amps under $2500

You can lay hands on pretty much anything you want for that price range, hell, you've even got a couple of Two-Rock 1x12 combos and used amp heads in that range. Like, seriously, that's basically anything you want money.

Matamp GT120MV? Done. Orange OR120 from the 1970s? Done. Vox AC30 Handwired? Done. Hel's Holiest of Bells, you could split it down the middle, and snag an AC30 for your cleans, an Orange Rocker/Tremlord 30 for your dirt, and a nice A/B switch (if you got the Rocker and the JHS Mini A/B, you'd still have another £400ish to buy gear with) to swap between the two.

That's what I'd do.

But my sound pretty much revolves around Vox/Orange anyway.

Well, I realize this is like right at $2500 but what about a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier? It's 150 Watts, Tube-Driven, 3-Channel and has five output jacks (Two 4-Ohms, Two 8-Ohms and One 16-Ohm) so you can power multiple Cabinets with different Ohm-Ranges at the same time.

How much do you want to spend on an amp that will usually be in teh shop getting its relays replaced or the jfets in the switching circuits or an overheated non-mil-spec PCB? Or can you afford 2? Also, the preamp is literally a soldano while the poweramp is like what Soldano designs when Mike's drunk and can't make up his mind.... and all those options lead to 8 million failure points.... I think the road king is their worst offender, but the regular triple rec and even to a lesser extent the dual rec.... shop whores. I won't even work on them anymore. its always jfets or relays or someting related to footswitching all those pointless options. They really did rip off a SLO100 and ruin it....

I think I am now able to extend the budget to amps under $2500

You can lay hands on pretty much anything you want for that price range, hell, you've even got a couple of Two-Rock 1x12 combos and used amp heads in that range. Like, seriously, that's basically anything you want money.

Matamp GT120MV? Done. Orange OR120 from the 1970s? Done. Vox AC30 Handwired? Done. Hel's Holiest of Bells, you could split it down the middle, and snag an AC30 for your cleans, an Orange Rocker/Tremlord 30 for your dirt, and a nice A/B switch (if you got the Rocker and the JHS Mini A/B, you'd still have another £400ish to buy gear with) to swap between the two.

That's what I'd do.

But my sound pretty much revolves around Vox/Orange anyway.

2 ams and a switch were always my prefered live setup for alt rock

so there's the high gain and low gain approach... or go cranked and get a mean 15 watt vox style like a matchless nighthawk or something for the real deal dirt, a radial ABY and then get a fender or a hiwatt for clean (not that a hiwatt can't get poweramp dirt but it'll liquefy your organs)... so you just pin the 15 watt amp, maybe use the master a little, maybe not.... then you let the big fixed bias amp do your cleans.... need less dirty? pedal into the clean amp or turn down your volume knob on the dirty amp

lots of textures.

again, I would personally buy a 2 power tube hiwatt or orange, an 800 or, pbviously an ac30.... for your kinda money you might be able to score a vintage ac30 in this economy. Although they need upkeep. Unlike the aforementioned mesa its a labor of love... well for me. Plus maintaining an ac30 is an investment... but I digress.

what about a jcm900?

if you want the extra distortion of a 900 get the single channel SLX model, it sounds btter than the split channel dual reverb ones. Or get a silver Jubileee, gainier than any 800, decent channel switching.... and not as shitty sounding as a switching 900. But once you're looking at amps with clipping diodes toincrease the distortion why not look at a friedman?

Also: Were you talking just about Amp Heads or are you interisted in Cabs to?

Also: Were you talking just about Amp Heads or are you interisted in Cabs to?

yeah, man... do you have a cabinet? maybe you should be looking just at combos