Hey all! So I finally (mostly) assembled a Tony Iommi SG Monkey tribute and the requisite pedals to absolutely NAIL that early Sabbath tone. The next challenge is finding the right amp. I have a wife with a bum ear so I mostly practice with headphones but I'd like to buy a small amp with (probably) a 1x12 speaker. Advice I read on the web says to get a flea powered tube amp, preferably a darker voiced British jobby, and a decent small cab. My goal is to be able to push the amp up and over the edge without terrorizing the neighbors (or my own wife LOL). Here is what I have pondered so far: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Friedman-J...317195&hash=item3d9acee344:g:GKQAAOSwgwhfGejE and https://www.ebay.com/itm/BUGERA-T5-...290995&hash=item3db5c387d0:g:8d0AAOSwoghgHmr1 and https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MicroTerrorBun--orange-micro-terror-head-and-ppc108-cabinet Big price differences of course but it's more about getting it right for me than getting it cheap. In this case, for my needs, they might just be the same thing this one time! As for cabs, I figured on a Celestion Greenback 1X12 of some description. I'm not committed to anything above. Just looking for the right suggestion and hoping for advice to help me do Mr. Iommi proud! Thanks! Russ
The Laney TI-15, Tony Iommi endorsed practice amp. Out of production but you might find a secondhand one. Other current production Laneys that would work are the Cub range or the GHR amps. The Cubs have a <1w input for quieter playing, and the GHRs have a really good master volume so you can play them fairly quietly and still have great tone. Tony plays Laney, so should you.
If you need a small amp for practice purposes, don't rule out one of the small modeling amps. I recently purchased a Fender Mustang I v2 (Super inexpensive for what they can do). Using the controlling software to access the full set up potential allows you to make virtually any sound you want and save it as a preset. The speaker sounds great at bedroom levels, plus headphones can be plugged in for silent practice. I have never been a fan modelling amps. I don't like the "workflow" in the digital realm, and I find using the presets in a "live band" situation cumbersome and breaks my train of thought. Having used one now for bout six months, I still feel the same way about digital modeling amps in general. I will always be an analog guy. Give me a tube amp and 3 or 4 good pedals and I am in heaven. All that said, I do now see the utility of a small inexpensive modeling amp for bedroom practice. I think it will also come in handy in the studio because of the flexibility to create tones and effects for a specific purpose. They really do sound good, and the tube emulation is getting really good as well, responding to picking dynamics and other characteristics I would never have expected from a modeller.
Modelling amps are not the organic crunch I'm trying to achieve. I have actually considered the Orange Dark Terror. Would it be possible to use it at bedroom levels? I mean in the 7W mode can you still dial in a great hard rock gain settings without the volume causing spousal neuropathy LOL?
Totally understand, just saying, but if you haven't tried one lately they are worth a test drive...For my purposes a practice amp doesn't have to be "perfect", just "good enough". The new ones exceed that requirment many times over imo. By all means, get what you want. I would never presume to tell someone else what they need for their purposes. I am just saying they might surprise you and possibly even save you some money if it is just a practice amp that you are looking for.
Have a look at the Blackstar Studio 10 Combos...in your case probably the KT88 or EL34 version.... Amazingly versatile 1x12“ combos with effect loop, emulated DI/Headphone output... I have the 6L6 version and it’s by far better than anything in this price range...
Bedroom level is a very subjective term. What other people sometimes call bedroom level is way too loud for my apartment. I play at very low volumes. I had a Orange Micro Terror which has one of the nicest crunch tones I've ever had and it worked at my bedroom levels. But even with the Micro Terror which has a solid state power amp I could not turn the volume up more than 1 or 2. It quickly got too loud. So I guess the Dark Terror with its two power tubes could be to loud. I know that the Rocker 15 Terror works at very low volumes on the 0,5 W setting. Not sure if this is the tone you are looking for though. Those Orange lunch box amps are nice, but not the most versatile. So as others said: Don't rule out modeling amps or those tube/hybrid Blackstar amps. In the end I think you have to try a few amps and maybe directly A/B them if you have the chance.
So I wound up buying the Orange Rocker 15 Terror. It is more versatile as, in contrast to the Dark Terror, it can do cleans reasonably well. With its "bedroom" setting I should be able to rock out at half a Watt and still bring on the Iommi vibe that I am practicing to nail right now. I can also let it wail at 15 Watts full bore and with one or two Celestion 12's I can cut through on most small stages. I don't know if it Dooms like the Dark Terror would but with the tube buffered effects loop I can let my Treble Booster and fuzz pedals do the heavy lifting. Now I just need to consider the right cabinet for the job. In an ideal world with the laws of physics suspended I would have a 2x12 cab that was not much bigger than a 1x12 cab so it can sit in the living room behind a couch until I'm ready to terrorize the neighbors :-) Any suggestions for a really, really small 2x12? Or maybe a very small 1x12 that takes well to stacking another on top of it without sacrificing much in the process?
