Shopping for a Tube Amp to replace my Fender 25R

arcadeko

arcadeko

Illuminatius Overlordious
I don't play out or anything, but I have never upgraded my little practice amp the Fender 25R. When I demo guitars at the local shops I usually use a nice tube amp - one I really like is the Blackstar 5watt - it has a single 10" speaker but it is much louder and obviously warmer and full compared to my Fender. But its also $399 (I paid $99 for my Fender).

So - I have seen several little 5 watt tube amps from Vox and Fender that are under $200 - I am wondering if anyone has an amp like this and could recommend one - I guess I probably just need to go to GC and play some of them but wanted to get some opinions or recommendations for a $200 range amp I might upgrade to.
 
arcadeko said:
Im looking mostly at this guy: VOX Valvetronix VT30 Tubular Modeling Amp
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that's a pretty nice 200 buck amp.
Personally, I'd go for the Blackstar ..... if you're gonna spend money to make a step up, make sure that it's a significant step up.
And that Vox is NOT a tube amp.
 
The VOX says it has a tube preamp in it.

Sophisticated modeling technology combined with the VOX Valve Reactor power amp circuit that uses a 12AX7 vacuum tube results in sound quality that overwhelms the competition.
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VOX | VT15 VT30 VT50 VT100 modeling amplifier

So it's a tube + solid state amp?

The Blackstar is just so expensive - $400 is a big chunk of change right now.. Is there anything decent I can get for under 300?
 
arcadeko said:
Know anything about these amps?

GuitarCenter

GuitarCenter

Buy Bugera V5 5W 1x8 Tube Guitar Combo Amp | Tube Combo Amps | Musician's Friend

Buy VHT Special 6 6W 1x10 Hand-Wired Tube Guitar Combo Amp | Tube Combo Amps | Musician's Friend
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all great suggestions.


First .... yes the Vox has a tube in it . And, although it's a pre-amp tube, they have a neat way of using it to simulate a power tubes behaviour. But it's still a solid state power amp and it's primarily a modeler. But a lot of people like it.

I had the little Bugera ..... it's decent ..... sounds a lot bigger if you run it thru some other speakers ...... definitely not loud.

That Super Champ ....... I see nothing but rave reviews about it from everyone who I've seen get one. Pretty versatile with a true tube sound.
It's surely gonna be louder than that 25R though so be aware of that. It'll be at least as loud but almost surely louder.

The little Vox amp get good reviews ..... I think it's fairly limited but a way to crank a tube amp for recording without it being loud.

The VHT, I know nothing about except VHT makes good stuff so I'm sure it's cool.

I think out of those I'd be most interested in the Super Champ.
 
I went and played a Super Champ today - sounded real nice :)

I wonder if the Vibro Champ XD sounds as good? It seems to have the same specs/features except it is 5W instead of 15W like the Super - and it is $100 less
- I don't need the volume, I just want the tone
 
I own a Super Champ XD.

The blonde tolex is cool looking (mine's black.)

The Vibro Champ XD sounds almost just like the SCXD, but it is a little noisier (hum at idle.) That, not the extra wattage, was why I went with the SC.

I prefer the "tubes on the power amp side" type hybrid over the "one tube on the pre-amp side" type, having owned both. (The 12ax7 in the SCXD is not part of the pre-amp gain structure. Yes, Fender says it's a preamp tube- they lie.) Better tone, IMO.

The 16 different amp "voices" and the different effects, although all DSP, sound pretty good- certainly very good for what it is- DSP. Only complaint I have is I can't get reverb and tremolo at the same time. The effects "Level" control is a great addition (some Fender SS practice amps have the effects but no level control- it's either all or nothing.)

I put my attenuator on the SCXD, but was strangely dissapointed with the results- too compressed. I am guessing it was because a 50-watt attenuator could not help but over-attenuate a 15-watt amp.

I changed to the Eminence Ragin Cajun speaker (man, I HAD to- my last name is Boudreaux...:D) but I did not notice much change in bass response, which is what the RC was supposed to do. I don't think this is a cost-effective mod.

I just have one question about the specs in the GC page- what the heck is a "Mohm?" ("Input impedance: >1 Mohm"):confused:
 
stevieb said:
I own a Super Champ XD.

The blonde tolex is cool looking (mine's black.)

The Vibro Champ XD sounds almost just like the SCXD, but it is a little noisier (hum at idle.) That, not the extra wattage, was why I went with the SC.

I prefer the "tubes on the power amp side" type hybrid over the "one tube on the pre-amp side" type, having owned both. (The 12ax7 in the SCXD is not part of the pre-amp gain structure. Yes, Fender says it's a preamp tube- they lie.) Better tone, IMO.

The 16 different amp "voices" and the different effects, although all DSP, sound pretty good- certainly very good for what it is- DSP. Only complaint I have is I can't get reverb and tremolo at the same time. The effects "Level" control is a great addition (some Fender SS practice amps have the effects but no level control- it's either all or nothing.)

I put my attenuator on the SCXD, but was strangely dissapointed with the results- too compressed. I am guessing it was because a 50-watt attenuator could not help but over-attenuate a 15-watt amp.

I changed to the Eminence Ragin Cajun speaker (man, I HAD to- my last name is Boudreaux...:D) but I did not notice much change in bass response, which is what the RC was supposed to do. I don't think this is a cost-effective mod.

I just have one question about the specs in the GC page- what the heck is a "Mohm?" ("Input impedance: >1 Mohm"):confused:
Click to expand...

I think I read somewhere that the SCXD only used tubes on the clean channel - on the modeling channel it was all solid state? I watched about 10 youtube videos where people demo the SC and the VC - I still am not sure what the difference is but it seems there is a tube difference - I like the sound of the SC - I want to play on a VC but I can't seem to find one - GC Marietta doesn't stock them - I am going to call Sam Ash today...
 
Any pedal in front of a nice clean tube amp is as good as that pedal is ever gonna sound. Go tube. All tube. No matter how many watts. You won't be disappointed.

I just about never use the second channel in my amps. Just give me a ton of clean headroom and about 3 favorite pedals. So much you can do with that.
 
Well I went and played the Vibro Champ, the Super Champ and the Blackstar HT1 - I think if anything I am going to go with the Blackstar - plugged it into a 4x12 cab sounded pretty good - maybe I will save up and splurge for the 5watt for $399 - then I can gig with it if I ever get a gig :x

or maybe i just go with their pedal



Sorry - I kind of have two similar threads running that have sort of merged in to each other :o
 
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Never heard that about the SCXD. Does not make much sense to me- that would mean Fender would have put TWO power amp circuits in the amp- seems like it would not be very cost-effective. Now, if you are saying the pre-amp's distortion is DSP, I believe that is correct- but there is only one power-amp circuit in that amp, AFAIK.

fat_fleet said:
why are my attempts to read this thread met with so much resistance?
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Yeah, everyone here is trying to impede your progress...

Meg Ohm... I think I slept with her, once or twice... Talk about resistance! I thought I'd never get her naked!
 
stevieb said:
Never heard that about the SCXD. Does not make much sense to me- that would mean Fender would have put TWO power amp circuits in the amp- seems like it would not be very cost-effective. Now, if you are saying the pre-amp's distortion is DSP, I believe that is correct- but there is only one power-amp circuit in that amp, AFAIK.
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So... The modeling channel with all the diff voicings versus the clean channel are both using the tube power amp? And the modeling channel with the gain switch is using another tube preamp? Is that right? So its two tube amps (pre and power) and the amp modeling (DSP?) run in between those? Is that how those Fenders work?
 
arcadeko said:
So... The modeling channel with all the diff voicings versus the clean channel are both using the tube power amp? And the modeling channel with the gain switch is using another tube preamp? Is that right? So its two tube amps (pre and power) and the amp modeling (DSP?) run in between those? Is that how those Fenders work?
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It may be that the preamp runs thru the 12ax7 pre-amp tube on some models and not on others. That wouldn't be hard to do ..... in fact that RP-7 does that ..... some of the distortions run thru the tube and some don't.
 
No, no, nothing much like that, as I understand it. The SCXD has a "preamp" tube, insofar a 12AX7 can be used thusly, but the 12AX7 in tha SCXD does something else (Phase inverter, as I recall,) and is not part of the pre-amp gain structure. I believe the pre-amp distortion all comes from DSP.

But yes, arcadeko, both the clean and "voiced"* pre-amp channels are run through the tube power amp.
*"voiced" because two of the channels- one that is patterned after the Roland Jazz Chorus, and one that is after the Fender Acousti-sonic acoustic guitar amp, are not distortion channels.

Good God, this is making my head hurt!:eek:
 
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