Most diverse studio amp

J

jrhager84

expert newb
I'm looking to get a small, semi-cheap amp for recording purposes, and wanted to know what you guys thought about various amps...

I'm looking for an amp that will suit well for most genres (I know it's not completely possible), but I'm thinking like maybe a Fender Champion 600 (5 watts output 1x6) or if money permits (or I just might get both) a Fender '65 Twin reissue....

any other small amps that you guys would recommend for recording purposes (don't need to be loud at all, just clean when you need it to be). I'd actually rather have a warmer, bluesier tone to start with (which is probably why I absolutely LOVE the old fender line of amps...)

Thanks dudes!

-Joel
 
well the 65' reissue twin is a great amp.. but might be too much amp for what you want.. it's rediculously loud and for a new one you're looking at around 1100$ The problem with this amp (that i could see) is for recording purposes you won't really be able to crank it to drive the tubes very much.. it's just too loud.. (100watts of tube power.. enough to go deaf) this is why i decided against it..


if it's a bluesy crunchy clean you're looking for and with an incredible dirt look into the orange tiny terror.. seriously amazing amp.. amazing tone..

15watts with the option of only running 7watts. that means you can crank it and really drive the tubes.. I tried one out and i was more than impressed.. it's actually loud too.. so you could even gig with it if you wanted to.. the only draw back for giging is it's only 1 channel and the clean breaks up a bit when you crank it.. but for a recording amp it'll be tough to beat this little guy.
 
Some Amp Ideas

I own a tiny terror...very cool studio amp, a little strong for blues stuff though $550 and you still need a cab too, I use various ones, mostly my alnico blue.

I also have a custom built "champ amp" that my electrical engineer built, very cool too, would be good for blues and classic rock.

I also own a "Dual Bass" If you can find one, try it out. It has a nice breakup and one of the coolest tremelos EVER!

If your handy with a soldering iron and can read a schematic, or find someone who can, you could build a Marshall 18 watt.
 
I'm using a Vox AC30CC as my home recording amp. At 30 watts it's more powerful than you need, but it does have a master volume.

It's a very versatile amp that allows channel blending, and can go from clean, Fender-like tones to crunchy, darker Marshall sounds. It's not particularly cheap, though ($1100 for standard 2X12 combo, $1600 for 2X12 Celestion Blues).
 
I have several low watt amps for the studio. The one that fits the most would be my Rivera Pubster. Twenty watts (two 6V6's) into a 10". Blues to shred.
 
Some people say they hear a difference, other's say they don't, but just to broaden the choices, dare I suggest:

Tech 21 Trademark 10 - analog tube amp modeling, both clean and overdriven, has Direct OUT XLR (with simulated signal) - it is designed as a studio amp. It's actually Tech 21's SansAmp GT2 box "in an amp".

By the way, the standalone SansAmp GT2 might work also, it has that same simulated output you can take directly to the board.

Of course, there's also a Behringer copy of the GT2 - Behringer GDI21. Some people say it's worse (some say "same"), but it's only like 25% of the price.

The only thing about Trademark 10 - it's not a 2 channel amp - you can't footswitch between clean and crunch - you have to dial in each one (or use pedals or use 2 amps, etc.)
 
I second the suggestion of using a modeling amp for recording. I use the Trademark 10 also, but there are a lot of high quality models out there. A friend of mine has a Vox combo that has both the amp/cab models and effects. Very nice unit.

Most of them will come with a DI so you can go right to the board.

I even use my Trademark for live sound (DI to the board). I just swapped out the original speaker and it sounds really nice as stand alone amp now.

Just keep in mind that the modelers might sound night and day between the internal speaker and DIing into your recorder. when I record, I stick a headphone on the trademark so I don't hear any of the speaker at all.

Plus some of the modelers don't even have a speaker/amp set up - SansAmp, Pod, etc. You will need to audition several to make sure you get the sound you want though... There is a lot of variation in sound between brands.
 
There are some single ended, Class A amps that use a single tube (and you can swap in just about any power tube you want). I think the GT Solo is in that category, but there are several others. Couple that with several different single speaker cabs (try lopoline.com for enclosures) and you would have a lot versatility without a lot of actual stuff. However, the amps tend to be in the $800-$1000 range and then you need cabinets and speakers.

Cheers,

Otto
 
I've purchased several low watt amps/combos to find good recordig tone while controlling volume. I current have low watt amps by Fender, Marshall, Peavey and Epiphone (as well as some "vintage" amps from Sears and Kalamazoo).

One low cost combo that I have that can cover a wide range of clean to crunch (and which provides good volume control) is the Vox AD30VT. This had been recommend by a couple of people I know and respect, but because it's listed as a 30watt amp I thought it wuld be too loud. Eventually, I learned that it had an "attenuator") - which convinced me to give it a try.

I can get a rather broad range of sounds. I don't really use the on-board effects and I'm not convinced this amp could hod up to steady gigging - but in a home studio, it has turned into a low cost, good, all around amp.
 
I'm actually looking into getting an axetrak iso cab, and either a tiny terror, or the rm20 to power it. I like the terror cause you can switch between 7 watt and 15 watt to really crank up the tubage! I have actually heard the axetrak box, and I was skeptical, but lemme tell ya, it's amazing... I suggest you guys look into them as well. I'm thinking about getting a bass setup as well, but if I decide against it, I'll probably end up getting three flavors of guitar sounds (a tiny terror, an rm20 and a laney LC15R).

How many of you guys actually just DI the bass? Should I even worry about miking the bass? Thanks for the input guys!
 
Fender Deluxe re-issue and a couple of good pedals. I prefer the Jykle and Hyde. Sounds good at reasonable volume. A good old Mesa Mark 111 would also be a good choice, but maybe not in your price range. I just piss off the neighbors with the Marshall 100 watter. :D Reply atfter your choice. The Vox as reccomended may be a good solution. Buddy has one and it sounds very nice. Try, sample and listen at the volume you require.
 
I've had my eye on a THD univalve for a while, lots of switching available with various tubes.

daav
 
jrhager84 said:
I'm looking to get a small, semi-cheap amp for recording purposes, and wanted to know what you guys thought about various amps...

I'm looking for an amp that will suit well for most genres (I know it's not completely possible), but I'm thinking like maybe a Fender Champion 600 (5 watts output 1x6) or if money permits (or I just might get both) a Fender '65 Twin reissue....

any other small amps that you guys would recommend for recording purposes (don't need to be loud at all, just clean when you need it to be). I'd actually rather have a warmer, bluesier tone to start with (which is probably why I absolutely LOVE the old fender line of amps...)

Thanks dudes!

-Joel
Click to expand...

Well, the last thing you need is a Fender Twin: it's big, heavy. LOUD and bright. The little Orange amps are nice. Since it's for recording only, you can really home in on the tone. The little Champ amp you mention would be a good choice.
 
daav said:
I've had my eye on a THD univalve for a while, lots of switching available with various tubes.

daav
Click to expand...

For flexibility -- Univalve. You beat me to it. It is on my list of future acquisitions.

For recording, I mostly use a 64 Champ (Tweed circuit) and a Super Champ. The Super Champ does clean pretty well and then you can kick it into high gain mode (It's a Rivera design from the early 80s). I also have a Matchless SC-30 which is a 30 watt combo, but with a half power switch (cuts out 2 of the 4 power tubes) so I can run it at 15 watts (which is still pretty loud) - works well for that Vox EL-84 sound.

For Bass you can do well with just a DI. I usually use a GT Ditto or a Millennia TD-1. I sometimes also mic my bass amp (Ampeg B15N fliptop), but I then blend it with the DI anyway.
 
Roguetitan said:
I don't use amps for recording,I personally don't see the purpose in using amplifycation in the studio.
I use the Boss GT-8 and Boss GT6-B effects pedals DI into my mixing console.
Here are a few of our latest recordings No Amplification.
Warning Death Metal content.
http://hc.bloodyvelvet.com/files/177/08 Track 8.wma
http://hc.bloodyvelvet.com/files/177/07 Track 7.wma
http://hc.bloodyvelvet.com/files/177/06 Track 6.wma
__________________
Click to expand...

I am no pro here, so it's not an opinion, but a guess (gut feeling) here: it's probably a lot easier to get "death metal" tone with no real amp than some other rock/blues drive sounds that tube amps are known for. No? :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top