Which amp to chose?

I play through a Friedman Runt 20 amp and my Gretsch Tennessee sounds fantastic on the clean channel. You mention that you are not interested in distortion, however, on this amp, which has a gain channel, it is very easy to dial in a small amount of gain to make the tone fatten up and color the tone. It is very touch sensitive so that the tone can be very clean with light picking or strumming and get creamy when you dig in a little. It has an effects loop, and if you record or play through a p a system, you can plug in directly without using a microphone.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with the TM but man that's a lot of wattage for general purposes.

 

The difficulty with starting an "amp quest" is that it is very similar to a "guitar quest". The options are truly mind-boggling.
The Fender Deluxe Reverb is one of the world's great amplifiers. You can go through YouTube videos and get a great idea about a variety of amps. You can also research your favorite "clean" guitarist concerning their professional gear.

Personally, I use a Mesa Boogie Lonestar Special with my Cp Thornton tele. An absolutely fantastic combination.

After a little research I'd say you can't go wrong with a Fender Blues Jr.

 

A Gibson Super 400? Yep, that's quite a guitar. Just love the sound on the '68 Comeback Special. I wish Gretsch did a 24.6" scale Country Club, which would be the closest to the '400's body. One for the Custom Shop (either for the Gibson or the Gretsch) if I ever had the money!

When I look at some of those great Gibson hollow bodies from the past I think it's a shame the modern line doesn't include any. They seem to have lost their way a bit. I don't buy into there not being a market for them as Gretsch seem to be doing okay. Also, the new top-end Ibanez, recently reviewed on Andertons, sounded great and was complimented on build quality so Ibanez must think there's still a market.

 

I have an old Polytone I use when I want that really mellow clean tone. I think I paid $200 for mine and it’s great.

 

Depends on what "era" of Chet's career you're looking to "emulate"(I hate that word, but there it is). If you're looking at his early work there were no Deluxe Reverbs then. Not saying you can't get that tone on a DR but it's not the be all-end all of his tone. That would be in the line of tweed amps...Fender Pro, Deluxe, etc. Definitely not gonna get a Chet tone on a Blues Junior(I tried, didn't work).

I've seen video of Chet using Deluxe Reverbs, Princeton Reverbs, Twin Reverbs...his last rig was a Music Man with a single 15 and a Boss DD-3 digital delay. Heard that particular setup live and it sounded...like Chet!

You're more than likely on the right track with the DRTM, especially if you can only get so loud at home. Chet was not about playing loud(read biographies about the man and you'll see).