I want a tube amp for my style

squibble94

squibble94

Nature of Force
Hey guys. I know there are a billion threads like this, but I have some different desires. I want a tube amp for recording, and for playing live. The most I'll be playing are small clubs and stuff. I would like it to be a combo amp. Built in reverb would be nice. I like bright cleans and smooth but in your face distortion. The highest I'm willing to go is $700, and even that's a stretch. $300 to $500 would be great.

I would like to be able to play anything from clean guitar toned rock, to super banshee like metal. :p Sorry if that's kind of broad.

Any suggestions?
 
Alright this is not really a "tube" amp and Lt. Bob is gonna slap me for spamming these again but I gigged the head version for five years and it is perfect for playing live. They record okay as well.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vox-Valvetronix...934?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item588a6ebfde

This one is pricey but you want the big foot controller. You can get better pricing if you're patient. There is another one on fleabay "as is" that has an issue. Having had all three of mine repaired I can tell you it's a cold solder joint and will cost $50 to fix and stay fixed. These were very under-rated amps - probably because they are "modellers" and they weren't cheap. The cloth-grille original series are the good ones and they are discontinued.

An alternative.


lou
 
Sky Blue Lou said:
Alright this is not really a "tube" amp and Lt. Bob is gonna slap me for spamming these again but I gigged the head version for five years and it is perfect for playing live. They record okay as well.

lou
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nah, no spanking from me. I see WAY too many people that love the Valvetronix stuff to not accept they must be pretty good.

I haven't used one on gigs so I have no way to know; so I'm gonna defer to Lou who definitely knows a thing or two.
 
squibble94 said:
Hey guys. I know there are a billion threads like this, but I have some different desires. I want a tube amp for recording, and for playing live. The most I'll be playing are small clubs and stuff. I would like it to be a combo amp. Built in reverb would be nice. I like bright cleans and smooth but in your face distortion. The highest I'm willing to go is $700, and even that's a stretch. $300 to $500 would be great.

I would like to be able to play anything from clean guitar toned rock, to super banshee like metal. :p Sorry if that's kind of broad.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...


So like...you want it all in one package?

:D

I have a a few amps that aren't the very top end of boutique-ness, but not too shabby either, each with their own special flavors, but I wasn't too keen on ever dragging them around for jams/gigs.
So I also wanted a more club-ready amp that could at least cover some of the tones I like and with enough variety for jams/gigs.

Rivera Chubster 40

I was so blown away by how good it sounded, even though it's full of all kinds of bells and whistles. Most times, with tube amps, it seems the more features they cram in, the crappier the amp sounds...but the Chubster 40 was/is a pleasant surprise.

Of course, it's not $300-$500...but you might find one used on eBay up around your $700 range (maybe closer to $900 - new it's around $1700), but it's worth it, and it will cover all the things you need.
EL-34 all-tube, 112 combo amp, w/sweet reverb, dual channel, lots of crunch options, and nice cleans. It's a small but deep 112 cab, and is very deceptive for it's size. Huge sound!
One channel is American voiced and the other British voiced, you get a 3-button footswitch, and then there are the on-board boost options that may find you leaving your OD pedals home. :cool:

Mine looks like this (got it used/mint on eBay for around $950 if I recall):
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/...-40-40W-1x12-Tube-Guitar-Combo-Amp?sku=500239
 
Cool suggestions guys. I realize it's hard to get what I want for $300-$700. I'm leaning towards a Peavey Valveking or a 6505+. Good, bad? I still want to try other amps and see what I like. I live near a pawn-shoppy style music store. I want to check out what they have.
 
Lt. Bob said:
...I'm gonna defer to Lou who definitely knows a thing or two.
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Why thank you El Tee. Kind words indeed. I don't really know all that much but I know what I like and I know when I find it. Love my Boogie Mark V but it's way out of the price range and I'm not so sure I'd want to take it to the typical club gig. That's what I have all those Valvetronix for.


lou
 
check out some used carvin stuff, good quality but poor resale value. older peavey stuff is pretty solid as well, I saw a 5150 50watt combo for 450 or something like that on a local CL ad. The even older stuff, peavey ultra/mace/butcher can be had for just a couple bills if you find a decent deal.
 
Tony-bobs said:
check out some used carvin stuff, good quality but poor resale value. older peavey stuff is pretty solid as well, I saw a 5150 50watt combo for 450 or something like that on a local CL ad. The even older stuff, peavey ultra/mace/butcher can be had for just a couple bills if you find a decent deal.
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My dad has a Carvin X-100B amp. I like it, but it's not the sound I'm looking for. He also has a Hughes and Kettner Switchblade. I really like it, but it's way too expensive for me. I only really need 30 to 100 watts (100 watts being the most).
 
squibble94 said:
I only really need 30 to 100 watts (100 watts being the most).
Click to expand...
You only really need 20 watts if they're good watts.

The whole power trip is misleading. Higher-end Class A shit with point to point wiring is the route to take. I have a little Egnater - The Rebel20 - 20 watts - that will drive you out the freakin' room. More than enough for the average club gig. You're probably gonna mic it anyway so stage volume is what needs to be right. 100 watts is foolishness - or misnamed. 20 watts of "boutique" will blow the doors off 100 watts of "factory" all day long.


lou
 
check out the carvin v3, it'll do some pretty nice high gain stuff. also, just to make sure you're aware, "Class A" doesn't denote a certain quality. it's how the circuit in the amp works. you can have high quality, point-to-point class ab. it's the way in which signal is fed to the power tubes. you probably won't see anything higher than 5-10 watts true class A, after that it becomes more cost effective to use ab.
 
I would suggest a used fender deville or deluxe. There are some good deals out there on these if you look around.
 
Sky Blue Lou said:
You only really need 20 watts if they're good watts.

The whole power trip is misleading. Higher-end Class A shit with point to point wiring is the route to take. I have a little Egnater - The Rebel20 - 20 watts - that will drive you out the freakin' room. More than enough for the average club gig. You're probably gonna mic it anyway so stage volume is what needs to be right. 100 watts is foolishness - or misnamed. 20 watts of "boutique" will blow the doors off 100 watts of "factory" all day long.


lou
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Alright, cool. It will be used mostly for recording. It would be nice to have a 40 watt with an option to set it to 15 or whatever. I think I have to hear the amps to know if I want them. To the music store!!
 
squibble94 said:
Hey guys. I know there are a billion threads like this, but I have some different desires. I want a tube amp for recording, and for playing live. The most I'll be playing are small clubs and stuff. I would like it to be a combo amp. Built in reverb would be nice. I like bright cleans and smooth but in your face distortion. The highest I'm willing to go is $700, and even that's a stretch. $300 to $500 would be great.

I would like to be able to play anything from clean guitar toned rock, to super banshee like metal. :p Sorry if that's kind of broad.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Based on that description, see if you can find a used Mesa Rocket-44, DC-3, or Nomad 45.
 
jimistone said:
I would suggest a used fender deville or deluxe. There are some good deals out there on these if you look around.
Click to expand...

One of my buddies got a Hot Rod Deluxe and I was real impressed with it. I see them for $400 - 500 used. The only bummer is that it's a wee bit heavy but you know the formula:

heavy = sounds good :)

Another of my friends bought a Pignose G40V http://cgi.ebay.com/Pignose-G40V-40...846?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e5f11a55e

That is a really good sounding amp. I believe Pignose had it designed by a guy from Ampeg. It's not heavy but only has a 10" so you'd need a 12" extention cabinet for gigs, and those better not be too loud. But for what it is and costs, it is a really good sounding tube amp. I've thought it would be nice to recab one in a cab with a 12". Not many people took it seriously because it looks somewhat toy-like and Pignose has a rotten reputation. Think Econo Ampeg.
 
I've heard really good things about that Pignose before.
I've always regretted not getting one when they were blowing them out at M.F.
I think they were just a couple hundred bucks.

And I like the Fender Hot Rod series quite a bit.

But the deluxe is heavy?
You whippersnappers need to man-up!
:D
My Mark V weighs 65lbs ....... that's a little heavy ...... my Hot Rod deVille (4x10) is around 50 lbs ...... not too bad.
The Deluxe has to be less than that.
I'm old and everything but my position is "screw me if I can't carry 65lbs"
:D:D:D
 
The Orange Tiny Terror is a one trick pony. If you want to do blizzard of nails crunch, sure - for anything else, pass.

The Fender Hot Rods are actually quite nice. I owned one for a bit, and it had a great clean and a nice smooth middy distortion. It didn't do "heavy" very well, though, it was more vintage voiced. You could get up to alt-rock bordering on grunge, but for hard rock/metal it wouldn't be my first choice, at least not without a distortion.
 
squibble94 said:
I want a tube amp for my style...
Click to expand...

So, get one! :D

I'd suggest the Peavey Classic 30- I agree, you don't need massive power- take it from someone who made the mistake of cranking a 135-watt Fender Twin Reverb to 10 and hitting just ONE E major chord. Won't do THAT again...

You may not get all the distortion of a C-30 that you want- or a Hot Rod Deluxe, either, for that matter. There may be some that provide "too much" distortion (sorry, but I am a blues and rock player, not real keen on metal or the distortion levels that seem to be prevelent in that and similar genres'.) You might get there with your fav. stomp box in front of the amp.
 
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