Hi,
For a few years I have used a Fender Bronco as test amp. It's a small transistor amp and it needs to sit in a perfect spot to get enough bass by the baffle of the floor and surrounding tables.
Now by itself that doesn't have an impressive sound and it took sometime to go back and forth between the larger amps I have and all the feedback I get on various models to come up with a setting that I'd find useful and I listen for details in sound and to overtones and the decay.
Funnily Harri told me about Leo Fender sitting at his factory pounding away on a bass not really playing anything but just listening probably for distortion.
Oh and Harri also told that Leo was only ever once allowed on the factory floor but confined to his office so to not disturb production all from a book...
I think of that at times and wonder what senseless and atonal things I would play as I listen...hehe
As I had my workshop in town and adjacent to TG11 Sebastian used to remark how uninspiring this little Bronco sounded and I told I would probably not gig with it but that it allowed me to hear all the overtones clearly.
And even then he'd wonder how I could set a sound that would work in the amp room on the number of amps that were in there
As a sidenote this little Bronco amp was once John Norum's practice amp and it sort of works if you can play a stringed fencepole
but actually it is good amp for what I use it for.
I used to in younger days practice at night and early morning and make all kinds of new things needed for next day and rehearse during days and gig evenings and return with feedback and eventually know what worked both on 0,25W and 100W remembering all kinds of funny things related
I could note things changing with volume and other acustic things as anything, listening angle dampening of the room therefor lost of things to consider and contemplate.
For years I used my first amp that's transistor radio, for practicing and later got a small transistor combo that I rebuilt so I could get an approximation of the eq and so I could get things working on the larger amps used for rehearsing and gigging.
I have used a number of amps in tuning and solving things and also was very grateful to be able to have on loan for a while a reissue Fender Twin just like one you'd find as rental amp on stages. That was helpful
Through the years I have used all kinds of amps to try pedals on that have included many vintage amps aswell as Marshall Valvestates and really the biggest inspiration ever I think has always been the uninspiring sounds and how to get inspiration and how to get it working solving.
That aside I do like a nice tube amp as much as any guitarist. While I tend to listen to sound more than components.
A good speaker is half the amp and the rest is just filtering and distortion
Specifically for the US made versions, well I hear there are some amps in a room that are used to rawk through the US made ones
Also Jdandry I see you are making some fine amps - those look mighty interesting.
I would much like to hear one at some point- however you say DRD sounds good through one now let me guess you see I have my spies and they have different colours
and through them I can hear sort of distant amps
Have fun
BJ