Need suggestions on all Tube practice amp...

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evhwanabe

evhwanabe

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Moving out of my parents house finally into an apartment........ leaving all my large amps at my bands practice space. I am looking for a small watt all tube practice amp for less than $400. Not worried about on-board effects but would like to atleast have some reverb. It would also be cool if this amp rocked enough to use it for very small gigs! I play mostly classic rock/ 80s rock. Not really into playing metal or anything like that. More like SRV/allman Bros/pink floyd to VH/tesla/ blah blah blah.........stuff like that.
Thanks
b
 
I have a Ampeg Gemini II.

Great tone, loud as fudge, awesome reverb, pleanty of inputs. I love it, and it's just under 400 on ebay. It's worth looking into.
 
jonhall5446 said:
Fender Blues Jr.

All the tones will half the volume!
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I had one of those. I had to sell it and got a ProJr. a while ago to replace it. I love that amp but its way too loud for an apartment.

There are some 5 watt amps that are being made now by companies. There was a thread not too long ago with a list.

Might wanna do a search.
 
The Carvin vintage 16 goes down to 5 watts but its still too loud for my house when cranked, let alone an apartment. I'd have to recomendthe 1/2 watt Zvex nano head even though its a bit over $400 (its about $425 I think).

Edit:
I read your post a little too fast..the nano head doesnt have reverb on it, and you'll need a cabnet for it also.
 
Laney LC15r

I had a Laney LC15r all tube 15 watt amp. Was very small, but was still very loud. However, they are very cheap!

Andy.
 
Thanks guys!
looks like the Blues Jr. is the way to go........
I am not entireley worried about volume in this apartment (Im renting half a house and the other tenant is hardly there, and gone on the weekends). Just want something that has a small footprint, not too loud, and sounds good.
 
What do you guys think of the Vox Valvetronix line? They seem to be getting pretty good reviews on Harmony Central and seem pretty afordable. Kind of a modeler / tube amp.......
 
Check out the Mesa F-50. It's the most versatile amp I've seen. It has a great Fender clean sound as well as great overdrive and heavier sound. With the Blues Jr. I'm guessing you'd need pedals to give heavier overdrive as Fenders are typically pretty clean.
 
Blues Jr. - awesome amp for clean or slight overdrive sound. It is VERY loud for the size!
 
just a thought. Thatupstateguy, Mr Steve Gibbs brought his little homemade "amp" to jamfest. It's just an amp, no speaker, all tube, and he runs it thru a cabinet. I think I remember him saying depending on the power tube, he was getting from 6 to 12 watts. A BIG KICK ASS little amp. He would get a player, and hook him up, making sure the guitar settings weren't changed, and let'em play a little, then change a tube (of course Steve had boxes of tubes), and the whole sound would change. I'm not a big electric person, but I was truely amazed at this little amp. It carried a guitar thru all the jams at jamfest. I don't know if there was pictue of it, but if I find one I'll post it.
 
that's it. the little tweed looking box, and he ran it thru the speaker cabinet there.
 

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I know this doesn't help your question, but I thought it was interesting. :D
 
one thing to bear in mind with the blues junior is that it doesnt really distort a lot ..even at full vol which could freak out the neighbours since its loud for its size...you really need to use say a tube preamp distort type pedal if you want a full range of tube distortions at a resonable pratice amp volume. There seem to be a number of amps coming up soon which seem to offer all that in a small package.
 
zazz said:
one thing to bear in mind with the blues junior is that it doesnt really distort a lot ..even at full vol which could freak out the neighbours since its loud for its size...you really need to use say a tube preamp distort type pedal if you want a full range of tube distortions at a resonable pratice amp volume. There seem to be a number of amps coming up soon which seem to offer all that in a small package.
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First off, no offense.

Second. You don't have a fucking clue wtf you are talking about.

The Blues Junior has a master volume so you can get preamp distortion. And when the master is cranked it is one of the single most nasty, get the fuck out of my way, I am gonna eat your heart out, overdrives available for under 2 grand.

That amp is made to be driven. And driven hard. Even my Telecaster is a fucking machine through that thing. ...and my LesPaul....oh, don't even get me started.

----
That is why it is part of the "HotRod" Series of amps, and not the "vintage re-issue" series. :D
 
none taken mate...i do acctually have and use one you know...and to get that distortion that you mention would have to be full on master..not just pre ...not exactly flexible as a practice amp...and if you think thats the most awseome distortion!!!!!!...well we are all entitled to our own.

just to make sure i wasnt missing something i took a quick dive onto harmony central...all i can say is that i am not the only one out there who shares this opinion.

Its a good amp...but depending on your style..you may well need a stomp box in the front of it..fact.
 
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Oulaws -
My sides are still aching after reading your decription of the Blues Jr. That's the best!
 
Man, you absolutely should try to get your hands on a Mesa Boogie Studio 22+. This little 22 watt amplifier comes with a footswitch and has a variety of tones for everything. Great for practice but has plenty of potential for small and possibly bigger gigs. Try to find a used one on ebay or something. I thing you should be able to find it for less than $350 or $400.
 
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