Nice tube combo amps under $500?

  • Thread starter Thread starter elenore19
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elenore19

elenore19

Slowing becoming un-noob.
Anyone have any suggestions?

I play punky type music, but I like a heavy tone.

I need an amp with a footswitch capability as well.

I was looking at the Peavey Valve King. Or maybe a fender amp. Like a blues junior or something. Marshalls don't seem worth the money for me.

But yeah, definitely considering the Valve King.

Thanks for the help!

-Elliot
 
i don't know whether the Peavey Classic 30 will quite get that tone, and it's another $99 on Zzounds, but i like mine, and would reccomend it... i mainly play clean or slightly overdriven, but i use a boss distortion when i need actual distortion.

http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--PEV00583150

nice and loud, all tube (apart from the reverb, or something?!)

Andrew.
 
Having owned both, the Delta Blues is a better built amp than the valve king, I still have the VK and use it for it's volume for outside gigs. You might want to check out a Custom Coupe 36
 
I have the PV Delta Blues 30 watt with 15" speaker and love the tone I get from this lil' amp, I updated the tubes, and it rocks for a small amp, I play blues and southern rock mostly, some classic rock...and it does cost a little more.
 
If you're also looking in the used market, you might want to check out a Crate Vintage Club 30 or 50. I have had a VC3112 (30W, 1 12" spkr) since about 96, and I love it. Even folks who turn their nose up at Crates on general principle are impressed by this amp, it's sorta known as the Crate to have. I've seen these on eBay recently going for $200-$350. The only problem I've ever had with it was after it sat dormant in my parent basement for a few years while I was in off in the military, it developed a weird intermittent crackling & volume loss on the clean channel. I took it to a repair person who said that it was just dirt build up in the FX loop input (the control panel it top mounted so without a cover on it, dust can settle in there), he opened it up and cleaned the whole thing out and it's worked like a champ ever since.
 
Wouldn't bother with the Blues Junior... the Blues DeVille has a monster sound and its loud, but its also 900. The Junior is 400 but will not stand up to live use in a heavy-rock / punk band (or whatever the label is you would like to apply to your music) - it has a nice clean tone, but doesn't break up very well, and it breaks up at a rather quiet level. I use it for recording clean jazz tone, and it works well for that though :D

The Blues Deluxe, on the other hand, is the best of both worlds - its cheaper (650, out of your budget, I know), but has the power to drive a band. My brother uses it for blues, but set to clean with the right OD pedal, you can easily get rock/punk/etc distortion and a thick sound out of it.
 
If you're prepared for s/hand you should have a look at this...... http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Rivera-R-30-...ryZ10171QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

These amps are 2 channel (psuedo American and British) and more than a little versatile PLUS for their size, they put out some serious volume when needed. I have the 55 watt single 12" version and it's not uncommon for my son to take it on a gig when he can't be bothered carting his full Marshall rig and he never fails to rave about the Rivera.

:cool:
 
cusebassman said:
Wouldn't bother with the Blues Junior... the Blues DeVille has a monster sound and its loud, but its also 900. The Junior is 400 but will not stand up to live use in a heavy-rock / punk band (or whatever the label is you would like to apply to your music) - it has a nice clean tone, but doesn't break up very well, and it breaks up at a rather quiet level. I use it for recording clean jazz tone, and it works well for that though :D
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I am going to disagree on the Blues Jr. The one I have breaks up nicely and turned up it fatly roars, albeit not that loudly. What it doesn't do all that well, IMO, is a clean tone; it cannot touch my Deluxe Reverb in that department. Like I said, it's not all that loud, but you're going to mic it anyway, aren't you?
 
ggunn said:
I am going to disagree on the Blues Jr. The one I have breaks up nicely and turned up it fatly roars, albeit not that loudly. What it doesn't do all that well, IMO, is a clean tone; it cannot touch my Deluxe Reverb in that department. Like I said, it's not all that loud, but you're going to mic it anyway, aren't you?
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Yea, good call. Perhaps I got bum tubes or somethin, or it may very well simply be the combination of guitar and amp. It has a thin low-end, but gets quite muddy when it breaks up - but if you're mic'ing it to the PA, then yea, it doesn't really matter :)
 
ggunn said:
I am going to disagree on the Blues Jr. The one I have breaks up nicely and turned up it fatly roars, albeit not that loudly. What it doesn't do all that well, IMO, is a clean tone; it cannot touch my Deluxe Reverb in that department. Like I said, it's not all that loud, but you're going to mic it anyway, aren't you?
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my experience with a blues junior is ice pick clean (classic 30'ish) and an overdrive that's nothing to write home about. personally i would take a valve junior head/cab over a blues junior if it will be miked any way. elenore said the amp is for punk stuff but that's not really specific enough to know what type of sound he/she is shooting for. punk could mean anything from raunchy medium gain to smooth high gain.

elenore, i know tone is a personal thing but when i tried out a valve king i was disappointed with the preamp's muzzle of bees sound. i didn't get the chance to really crank the thing up and hear the power section but the nasty sounding preamp was bad enough to send me away. the speakers might have something to do with it too. who knows really. i wouldn't waste my money on a valve king though.
 
cusebassman said:
Yea, good call. Perhaps I got bum tubes or somethin, or it may very well simply be the combination of guitar and amp. It has a thin low-end, but gets quite muddy when it breaks up - but if you're mic'ing it to the PA, then yea, it doesn't really matter :)
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dead on in my experience. thin and muddy.
 
i love my carvin vintage 16. they have a bunch of tube amps that you could get for under $500 (especially used off of ebay). they come with groove tubes stock and until recently, many of the 1x12's and 2x12's came stock with celestion vintage 30's-- they've since switched back to their own carvin speakers (another good reason to look used).
 
elenore19 said:
Anyone have any suggestions?

I play punky type music, but I like a heavy tone.

I need an amp with a footswitch capability as well.

I was looking at the Peavey Valve King. Or maybe a fender amp. Like a blues junior or something. Marshalls don't seem worth the money for me.

But yeah, definitely considering the Valve King.

Thanks for the help!

-Elliot
Click to expand...


Blues Junior won't give you a heavy sound. In fact I can't think of a tube amp under 500 that WILL give you a heavy sound without stompboxes.
I love my Epiphone Valve Special, but use mostly its raunchy clean or throw a tube screamer in front of it.
Maybe you should look into a decent solid state amp. Or a modeler into a ok solid state combo.
 
travelin travis said:
dead on in my experience. thin and muddy.
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Perhaps there is some variability between units; mine is neither thin nor muddy, in my estimation. Of course, it may also be a difference in application or perception.

I bought mine used (it's fairly old) from a shop who services their used amps before selling them; maybe they or the previous owner did something to it to improve it. Whatever; mine is a great sounding little amp, and several folks have offered to buy it from me for more than I paid for it. It's not for sale.

Of course YMMV.
 
Thanks for all the replies!

Thanks for the replies everyone. Seems like I didn't give enough information on what tone I'm looking for.

I'm not too picky. I just want to be able to have a decent amount of gain without the solid state backround hiss, if anyone knows what I'm talking about. I have a line6 spider II 210 right now and the built in distortion on it is one of the worst things I've ever heard. So I've rigged up this crappy little Wngie(sp?) Malmsteen overdrive pedal and eq'd the amp a little on the clean and found a tone I can live with. I love it for chords, but it doesn't have enough gain for soloing or for palm muting really. No crunch.
My friend has a solid state marshall half stack and I mean, yeah, it's better than my spider II, but it still has that crap hiss in the backround.

So I've turned to tube. any amp I get WILL be mic'd, so loudness is not that big of a problem. I'm actually hoping for a 15-30W amp, it will just make things easier for me. I just need a cheaper amp, that will get the job done. Two channels so I can have one clean and one overdriven, and then I need to be able to switch back and forth with a foot switch.

I hope that helps out more.

So far I've gotten, don't go with the valveking and don't go with blues junior.
I'm seriously considering that Peavey Triumph PAG 120 112 Combo that someone posted from musicgoround. Looks like it would do swell, anyone have any input on that?

Also, I can go used, just not really soon. Like, amps that are ending bidding within a day on ebay, really isn't what I can deal with. So suggestions what to look for on ebay would be awesome. Thanks!

I've also been looking into the Mesa Boogie DC combo amps, they seem like my ultimate goal for an amp. Just what I need. Just too pricey so far on Ebay. But yes.

I'm looking for a pretty heavey crunch tone. I have a heavey guitar, so that makes my sound more heavey as it is, so that helps. I guess I'm looking for a more bluesy tone, just with more crunch. If that makes sense.

I hope all this information is helpful.
Any more questions, ask away!


Thanks so much guys.

-Elliot

Also, just found this one. Someone suggested it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/CRATE-VINTAGE-C...ryZ38073QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Good value? or no? Is it worth going for? or no? Definitely in my price range, actually a pretty perfect price.

Thanks for the help! I'll keep posting amps I've found interesting.

Another one.
http://cgi.ebay.com/PEAVEY-CLASSIC-...ryZ38076QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 
elenore19 said:
ess is not that big of a problem. I'm actually hoping for a 15-30W amp, it will just make things easier for me. I just need a cheaper amp, that will get the job done. Two channels so I can have one clean and one overdriven, and then I need to be able to switch back and forth with a foot switch.

I hope that helps out more.

So far I've gotten, don't go with the valveking and don't go with blues junior.
I'm seriously considering that Peavey Triumph PAG 120 112 Combo that someone posted from musicgoround. Looks like it would do swell, anyone have any input on that?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be so quick to rule out the Blues Jr except that it is a single channel amp.
 
I just noticed in the new sweetwater that the Peavey Windsor is now available in a 15 watt combo with all kinds of features that'd make it killer for studio use(has a built in power soak). I have no idea if they're really available yet since sweetwater likes to jump the gun and put stuff in their catalogs before they actually come out. I'm gonna give one a run to see if it's worth a crap, as soon is it comes out and I get some spare change.
 
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