I do not have a cab but can find one for cheap where I live. Any particular cabs should I keep an eye on?
Yes! Most important thing to ask, in my opinion, any mods?! The last thing I wanna do is buy someone's failed experiment. Wanna-be gear heads will get in there & mess with components they don't understand because they read about it on some forum. Musical instruments are NOT like houses, "upgrades" almost never increase their value!! Look for something that's all original, with the exception of tubes of course. Amps in original condition maintain their integrity & value much more than amps that have a mishmash of parts from who knows where in them. Tubes can last a while but there's no telling when they were last replaced & how much life they have left in them unless someone shows you a receipt & a copy of the work order. Highly recommend firing up the amp in person, preferably with YOUR guitar. You've got single coils so "most" tube amps should do your strat justice but you never know til you play. Make sure it works & sounds the way YOU want it to sound. If you're new to tube amps, don't buy before you play. Tubes respond quite differently than solid state amps. They aren't as forgiving and don't hide your mistakes very well. This is a GOOD thing! A good tube amp will make you a better guitar player. Just make sure to try before you buy. Get up close & listen for any weird pops, hissing, or any other obvious signs that something's wrong. Turn all the dials & push all the buttons, don't be afraid to ask questions & try to understand as much as you can about the amp's history.
I picked up a 98 DSL100 head last year for $550. I gotta say though it really doesn't cover that 80s rock/metal sound imo. The lead 1/2 channel is ok, I mean it never blew me away. It's all gain & very little tone. Even using the Deep switch & leaving the Tone Shift off there was a significant lack of bass & punch. I ran it thru my 1960AV cab & trust me, it's not the cab. Very fizzy sound that I was never able to get around. I owned a new DSL40C & same deal. The classic/crunch channel, now that had the fullness the other channel lacked but the gain only took you so far, leaving me to have to use a boost pedal just to get to ACDC level distortion, which isn't that saturated, far from "metal". It's not necessarily a bad amp but based on the music the guy likes to play, I'd honestly look closer at a JCM 900 MKIII, even the Dual Reverb 900s have a more vintage 80s vibe than the DSLs, & they're about the same resale-wise.
Owned them both & honestly......that OR15 of yours would slay any DSL in terms of pure tone & vintage vibe. Well within his budget too.
Thanks for such detailed info.
it cost me $400 brand new.
