My favorite amp

My favorite amp is the Fender Vibro-King, because it works well with my guitars and playing style.

With the guitar volume backed off, or with reduced picking intensity, the amp has beautiful, transparent highs and solid lows. I pick with my fingers, and can easily get a clean bass line and an overdriven treble line at the same time. The transition zone going into overdrive is wide, smooth and musical without even a hint of crackling or sputtering. And there's plenty of gain on tap for "classic" lead sounds - no pedal needed.

When I want a bit more gain than the amp can deliver, a garden-variety Boss DS-1 delivers the goods. I take advantage of the amp's compression to smooth out the pedal's sound - no need for mojo tweakery or expensive boutique pedals.

The amp has plenty of headroom for the stages I play, and gets along well with a Hot Plate. The low-efficiency alnico speakers growl and bark when pushed, and help to tame the volume so I rarely (except at home) have to tame the amp using the Hot Plate.

The three-knob reverb is to die for. I can't imagine ever giving up the flexibility that those two extra knobs bring.

The amp itself is simple - volume and EQ. The EQ works well over a wide range - this is not a "fussy" amp that you have to "get to know" before it gives up the goods. The goods are just there to be enjoyed.