Small guitar amps

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DJL

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He everyone. I want to pickup a few small 10 to 20 watt tube type guitar amps for my small studio. Does anyone here have any recommendations? Please inclued make and model numbers. Thanks
 
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There are so many options to choose from, I wouldn't know where to begin! However, I do have a few ideas for you. For beautiful Fender clean to grit, a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue is a very useful, great sounding amp. The Vox AC15 is a whole different color, but also great sounding. On the cheap side, see if you can find an old Fender Champ--the tube model. Great little recording amp. They also made one called the Super Champ, which is an18 watt all tube amp that is very nice.

Allen Amplifiers makes a small 5 watt amp that does clean to plexi. That looks interesting. I have their Old Flame and love it.

allenamps.com

I hear guys rave about the old Marshall 15 watt amps. Not sure of the model or number.

So, ther are a few things to try. I'm sure there will be many more suggestions.
 
Thanks for the response crawdad. I'm a bass player so I really need all the help I can get picking little guitar amps.

I have a Fender Champ but it's transistor, I didn't know there was a tube version of it. I'll keep a lookout for one. I also have the Fender Frontman 25R, but again it's transistor. I also have the bass and guitar SansAmp's. Is the the Marshall amp your thinking of the Marshall AVT20 combo? I'll checkout the other amps you mentioned (Vox AC15, Allen). I'd love to have a Deluxe Reverb but there about $800 and that's more than what I want to spend. 'Thanks for the tips.

Does anyone else have any ideas? I'd like to have some small 10 to 20 watts tube amps by Fender, Marshall, Mesa Boogie, Vox, Hi-Watt, others? I'm shopping at ebay, please help me out here. Thanks
 
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I know you want a tube amp, but the Vox Pathfinder is a deal for $100. It's not extremely versitile, but for the money, you can squeeze some great sounds from it.

And what's really cute about it is everytime you turn on the power switch, it takes a while to power up (you can even hear your signal coming up slowly), like it thinks it's a tube amp.
 
i got a crate vintage club for less than $200. it's a 20W tube amb with distortion and reverb. it sounds pretty good. and it's really rugged. the s.o.b. i bought it from sent it all the way from the usa to brazil WITHOUT any padding whatsoever. the guy only placed it in its original box, and shipped it via air mail. the amp arrived unblemished, and it's been working well for 2 years.
 
Hey thanks everyone, keep em coming. Oh, can anyone comment on the Marshall AVT20? I understand it's not all tube (it only has a tube preamp?) and does not have a "OverDrive" knob? How does it sound? Anyone?

I'm defiantly looking for a 'used' Fender Blues Junior (thanks for the tip) it's now on my list of amps to get. The Fender Deluxe Reverb's are going for about $650 on ebay. Boy, would I like to find one of those for half that price. Keep em coming, list the great sounding small 10 to 20 watt TUBE guitar amp's right here. Thank you everyone.
 
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I recently got a 65 Ampeg Jet by recommendation from a friend. Some of the best advice I've ever been given - incredible tone, and records like a dream.
 
Yeah, I remember looking at those, but they were beyond my budget if I recall. Look pretty sweet...

The old Orange line amps were suggested to me as well. Everything I read about them was glowing, but so were the prices.. when I could find one.

Silvertones are nice, too. I used one for a while and fell in love with it before dude wanted it back.
 
Roland Cube 15 (has EQ, distortion settings or clean, input for other device and for headphones, aux--about $99) or Cube 20 (has all that + reverb-about $175)
 
amp options

What's your budget? If it's unlimited, you might look at the new 15-watt SMF amp (retail $2199.00) designed by Mark Sampson of Matchless and Bad Cat fame. Or the Maven Peel Zeeta 15-watt head ($2250.00). Nice stuff if you can get it.
Budda makes a great EL-84 powered amp that's 18 watts, and Jeff Bober really knows his stuff.
Otherwise, it looks like you've gotten some great advice already!
 
StevenLindsey said:

I saw an ad for one of these in my local paper for $350 w/reverb.

These were over $1000 new, now they are $699 new.
I'm very tempted to jump on this, unless they continue to decline 30% a whack.

For a budget: I'll chime in Peavey Classic series and I don't think someone listed the Carvin ($300+) as of yet. I have a Peavey Classic 30 modded with a celestion vintage 30. I like it. I'd like to snag the Carvin unit also, but, I should really buy things I need.
Lexicon MPX 550, Yorkville YSMs, Triton LE, MPC2000, geez the list of unafforables goes on. (Sorry to get sidetracked)


[:D]
 
What's my budget.

I'm hoping to find some USED small 10 to 20 watt TUBE guitar amp's that sell NEW for about $300 each (street). That way I can buy them USED (in good cond) for about $165 each so I can get a few of them. I'm getting them for my small little studio and want a variety of classic sounding amps, like Fender, Marshall, etc. I'm just not sure which ones are TUBE amp's? Thanks again everyone.
 
My little tube amp is a 1958 Gibson GA6,a 12 watter with two 6L6s.Gibbys of that era are basicaly copies of the Fenders.Mine is a DeLuxe copy.But they don't have the vintage collector "cachet" that Fenders have,so you can find them for more reasonable prices.I've had mine for 20 years,but even then I only paid $40 for it.It might be worth your while to check out some old Gibsons on ebay.
 
i believe there are plenty of "cheap" practice amps

in the $300 range.......

new......

but i wouldn't want any of them, except strictly for a practice amp.

not a recording amp.

The really good low watt recording amps are going to be expensive.

A decent tube amp, even low watts, is going to be more expensive than $300 new......

the blues jr. is probably your best bet, but i doubt you'll find one in good condition for less than $250.......

but good luck searching.

if you want something that actually SOUNDS good, you'll have to cough up more dough.

and don't forget, a blues jr will get so friggin loud, that you wont be able to drive the power section very hard, and that's where the money is.........you could gig with that one, at the stage volume it puts out when it actually starts sounding sweet....

so you may want to consider a much lower wattage, 5 watts is plenty loud to record with, but no one makes a cheap one of those!

boogie used to make a 22 watter, class a, but they're not cheap!

do a search at harmony central.
 
Ok, I just scored a used Fender Deluxe Reverb in near mint cond for $450 cash from a local (wow, that little thing is loud). Now, that I've got the Fender amp sound out of the way, I want the Marshall sound next. Is there anyone here who has the Marshall AVT20 combo or another small Marshall 10 to 20 watt TUBE amp, if so, please tell me about it, does it rock? Thanks.

What was the model number of the boogie 22 watter? Is it all tube? Thanks.

Also thanks for the Gibson GA6 tip. :) and thanks to everyone for the wonderful help, you guitar players arn't as bad as most of us bass players think after all, lol. Just kidding. :)

One by one I'll get them, lol.
 
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