Recommend an amp?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ibanezrocks
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ibanezrocks

ibanezrocks

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could anyone recommend a tube amp for under 500 dollars(american) that has a good distortion, and a decent clean, as well as built in reverb?
also i have never owned and know very little about tube amps, so a little extra explanation goes a long way.
thanks
 
ibanezrocks said:
also i have never owned and know very little about tube amps, so a little extra explanation goes a long way.
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I think you need to go to a guitar shop and play a few. Just start playing them. Don't worry what brand. Just play everything they have.

Then come back and tell us what you liked.
 
ibanezrocks said:
could anyone recommend a tube amp for under 500 dollars(american) that has a good distortion, and a decent clean, as well as built in reverb?
also i have never owned and know very little about tube amps, so a little extra explanation goes a long way.
thanks
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I think Crate would be a good choice for ya. Tube amps are warmer sounding than solid state and generally considered "better" sounding. The only problem is that you'll need to buy new tubes every 6months to a year depending on how hard you play the amp.

Good luck!
 
Don't forget Traynor. Or maybe even Fender tube would suit you well.
 
what I'd be using it for

I play rock music, pearl jam type stuff mostly. I wouldn't be playing out with it much other than just jammin with some friends. 30 or 40 watts would probably be enough to be heard over a drummer.
 
Perhaps a Peavey Classic 50..Or one of the Fender Hot Rods used
 
40 watts is a lot for a tube amp.

I would check out a Blues Jr.
 
from looking at the specs and some reviews the blues jr. doesnt seem like it would have enough distortion for my liking, or would you disagree with that?
 
ibanezrocks said:
from looking at the specs and some reviews the blues jr. doesnt seem like it would have enough distortion for my liking, or would you disagree with that?
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I would disagree...but others will disagree with me.

But if you need gobs of distortion, a nice pedal infront of it will sound great. it is a tube amp and that will rub off onto the pedals sound, believe it or not.
 
I would take a look at a Trace Eliott 'Vellocette'

I have the 'Twin' model, but they do ,.. or did make a single model,.... very nice Class A 15 watts,.... twin EL84s can sound like a 30-40 watts of solid state power,.... has a Vintage 30 Celestion speaker, so you get VERY nice tone,.... and also has built in reverb, the real stuff,.... nice amp if you can find one,.... Gibson bought the company, and it now makes the Gibson Goldtone amps based on the Vellocettes,..... sort of a Vox/Orange sound....


Tube saturation sound without killing your ears,....


Just my opinion tho,.... you have to play thru a few different amps to get an idea of what you want,.... each guitar is going to sound a bit different in each amp,.....


Good hunting,...... and for price averages if you do the Ebay thing,......


try here.... www.prepal.com...

Steve
 
Look for a used Marshall tube combo, and get yourself a Boss Overdrive (or similar) for a lead boost. (If you play lead). Probably a Marshall JCM 800 or 900 series. Also, I would try to get a 2X12 combo instead of a 1X12 if you plan on playing with a live drummer. If you're looking for a cleaner tone, go for an old Fender combo instead. My 2 cents.
 
thanks for all your advice.
one last question about tube amps though, is it hard to change the tubes, and is it something most people can do themselves?
 
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Yes it is very easy to change your own tubes,..... most will last 15 yrs if you don't play it more than an hour or two per week,..... tubes rule,.....and anyone with at least some dexterity can do it,....try to find a 'Vellocette',.... you will not be disappointed.....!!!!!!!!!


Steve
 
I'll look for the velocette but I live in Canada so it might be harder to find one. Do they still make them or can I only find one used?
 
You might look at modern Traynors, too. The YCV 20, 40, and 80 might be right up your alley. Compare the YCV 20 to the Velocette. Compare the YCV40 and 80 to the Fender HotRods.

If it were me and I were doing it all over again, I'd look for an old Marshall 212 combo, JMP or JCM800, maybe a 900. Preferably master volume, but even a non-master would be great. The more you crank them, the better they sound.

Bedrock amps on ebay might do the trick too. Most of them are two channel with reverb and an effects loop.

Edit: Also check out the Carvin BelAir and MTS3212, both two channels. BelAir is more classic rockish, MTS3212 more rock into metal. The trick is they only have presence on 1 channel: BelAir on clean, MTS on overdrive.
 
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Thatupstateguy said:
Yes it is very easy to change your own tubes,..... most will last 15 yrs if you don't play it more than an hour or two per week,..... tubes rule,.....and anyone with at least some dexterity can do it,....try to find a 'Vellocette',.... you will not be disappointed.....!!!!!!!!!
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So what's with all the "tube re-biasing" that I've been told is necessary? Is that a load of crap? The last set I bought were a matched set of 4, this makes biasing a non-issue, correct???
 
cellardweller said:
So what's with all the "tube re-biasing" that I've been told is necessary? Is that a load of crap? The last set I bought were a matched set of 4, this makes biasing a non-issue, correct???
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Some amps are fixed bias and some amps are not fixed bias. If the amp is fixed bias, then you don't have to have anything done to it. Obviously, if it's not fixed bias, then the bias has to be reset when you change tubes.

The matched tube sets just makes sure that the bias is the same across all 4 tubes, but if those 4 matched tubes are installed in a variable-bias amp, the bias still has to be set again.
 
sile2001 said:
Some amps are fixed bias and some amps are not fixed bias. If the amp is fixed bias, then you don't have to have anything done to it. Obviously, if it's not fixed bias, then the bias has to be reset when you change tubes.

The matched tube sets just makes sure that the bias is the same across all 4 tubes, but if those 4 matched tubes are installed in a variable-bias amp, the bias still has to be set again.
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Properly biased output tubes are important. Matching is a good idea too.

The nomenclature can be a bit confusing. Cathode bias means there's a resistor between the "bottom" of the tube (cathode) and ground. Preamp tubes are biased that way, and some older power amps are as well, like the AC30 and 5E3 Deluxe.

Fixed bias means you're applying a negative voltage to the grid instead of applying a positive voltage to the cathode. In many older amps, like most Fenders and Marshalls, the fixed bias is adjustable.

There is also a non-adjustable fixed bias, or a fixed-fixed bias if you will, which applies a set negative voltage to the grid and you cannot adjust it without replacing parts. Old Ampegs and modern Mesa's use this system. They are often biased "cool" so any old set of tubes will work with them without burning out quickly.

With cathode bias and fixed-fixed bias it's plug and play, there is no bias adjustment inside the amp. But tube selection becomes important because you cannot adjust the bias to account for how hot or cool the tubes are.
 
wow :eek:
thats the first Ive ever heard of anything like that. so keeping that in mind, as well as the fact that I've never owned a tube amp before should that affect my decision or could I get used to adjusting biases or whatever you guys were talking about?
 
I wouldn't worry about the bias system as far as purchasing an amp. Techs can do it for you or you can learn to do it yourself with a multimeter and a bias probe (basically a socket that lets you stick the multimeter in series with the plate to measure current). Power tubes should get replaced every year or two depending on how much and how loud you play the amp.
 
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