the Fender SCXD is a really enticing "small tube amp"....with effects.
$299 asking price at GC.
Fender® Products
I have a SCXD, it's gotten more playing time than any other amp I own, for the last year or more. I feel that experience with the amp- enough time to get over the NAD effect, etc. gives me a balanced perspective on the amp. Much of this I have probably posted elsewhere, but I will try to put my feelings about the amp here, within a 1-5 watt amp perspective.
First, of course, it's not "small" by that measure, with 15 watts. That would provide approximately 4 times the volume of a 1 watt amp, if I am using the correct formula. I can tell you, to get tube overdrive from that amp, without an attenuator, you gotta get it darn loud- and this amp
can get darn loud. If you want easy power tube OD at low volumes, this might not be the place to look for it.
For pre-amp distortion, remember it is digital, which some folks don't care for, but I think it's darn good for all but critical application. By that, I mean that if you are truly picky about getting a particular sound, you won't be quite there with the SCXD, unless of course the sound you want IS a SCXD. But, not to belabor the point, it can come
very close. I once parked a vintage all-tube Champ right next to my SCXD, and was able to get the two to sound very close to the same. I don't think anyone could have identified which was the all-tube amp in a blind test.
The effects in the amp are quite good, and for most uses, you have enough control over the parameters, but that control is limited on "time" effects. Tremolo, delay and reverb, chorus and vibrotone all have only 2 or 3 settings for rate- not the infinitely variable knob we are accustom to, and a I.V. control for intensity or similar. If you want to match the tremolo speed to the tempo of the song, you may find yourself matching the tempo of the song to the tremolo speed, for instance. Also, you can not combine some effects with some others. For instance, you must choose either tremolo or reverb, but can't get both.
The amp model knob is darn nice to have. 16 different settings (some are very close to each other, so you might view it has "only" 6 or so) give you tones pretty close to Fender Champ, Fender Deluxe, Vox, Marshall, maybe others. I don't use the last two very often- Jazz Chorus and Acoustosonic- but when I need 'em, it's great to have them there. The acoustosonic does a good job of making the quacky piezo pickup in my acoustic guitar sound decent, saving me the cost of buying an expensive acoustic guitar pre-amp. Now that I remember that, I am reconsidering selling this amp...
A common mod is to put an Eminence Ragin Cajun speaker in place of the factory 10 incher, for better bass, which I did- but frankly, I don't think it's a cost-effective mod.
In summation, it's a good amp, and one I would recommend- but I don't think it will meet the OP's- or anyone else's- very-small-amp expectations.
...I also noticed the peavey valveking royal 8 on youtube, and despite it being youtube, i was really impressed with the sound!
So, now we have THREE types of amps? Solid state, tube, and
youtube?
