What amplifiers do you like for testing how a pedal design/modification sounds?

It varies for me depending on what I have around. I lean towards tweed and Marshall sounds so that's what I use. Recently it's been a 50W plexi combo and a Brown Deluxe, both home made.
I do occasionally plug into my Marshall Bluebreaker RI
 
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I have about 9 amplifiers and I still insist on using my Scarlett’s 2i2 for testing out my builds. I’m so lazy.
 
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My main thing is dead clean fretless bass and I have a DIY 500 watt amp and AudioKinesis cab that's as close to a reference grade FRFR rig as I can afford and/or have space to accommodate. That serves me well for acoustic instruments too. I use a little bit of room correction EQ on the amp and that's it, typically. EQ pedals and onboard preamps are mostly what I build, so an amp with a lot of baked in sound is mostly just counterproductive. "Boring" is good sometimes, IMNSFHO. ;)

For electric guitar I'd much rather do drive and OD right in the box with tubes, personally. So I'll make a new tube one eventually, and just be (somewhat) content with modelers for now. Time modulation EFX are the most interesting pedals for my electric guitar use cases, and testing those through my clean rigs works just fine for me.
 
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Peavey Bandit silver stripe, clean channel, bright off. Going into a scavenged and gutted Fender frontman 2x12 open back cab, containing a G12T75 wannabe (EHX's sneaky copy of it) and a WHS greenback wannabe. Tone stack is similar to Bassman, which is to say halfway between a Marshall and DRRI, good enough to see if a pedal will sound ok with both ends of the traditional amp spectrum. If a distortion sounds decent thru the PV, odds are that it will sound good with other amps.
 
If you’re building for the masses then a Hot Rod Deluxe, AC15C1 or DSL40 you’d wanna test through. If your building for yourself why not test it through your amp?
 
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If you’re building for the masses then a Hot Rod Deluxe, AC15C1 or DSL40 you’d wanna test through. If your building for yourself why not test it through your amp?
Well, I have a cheap amp whose sound especially when turned up I'm not really liking, so I was thinking about getting something better. I respect very much Chuck (and all you other geniuses) so I figured I'd see. It's been very educational!
 
Good point. HRD is the best selling amp on the planet. From my perspective I'm not selling pedals and I just need to see if the stuff I'm working or works and/or makes weird noises.

That said the next up on my bench is the Maxon Compressor and am willing to go out on a limb and say it's one of the best compressors I've ever played. The Ampeg sounds about $1k better with it.
 
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