Small, Reliable Tube Amps

[wingsonstrings]

I'd like to make the jump to a tube amp (my main amp is a Roland blues cube, which is pretty good, but still SS). I'd like something smallish, loud enough for practice (with maybe drums and bass) maybe small gigs. I'm thinking 15W, maybe and $300 or less. Any input? I think Vox makes one...I have no experience with tube amp tweaking and there's nobody nearby, so it would have to be solid. Ideas?

 

[javamagic]

I've got a Trace Elliot Velocette. (They later became the Gibson Goldtone). Its 15w class A, 1x12 Celestion with reverb and a pentode/triode switch that cuts it down to 6w. It sounds great and it is very loud, even on the 6w setting. The first versions w/out reverb used a 10" speaker. They come up cheap occasionally and if you come across one buy it!!! Don't really know about the Vox but if it's anything like its ancestors (and the Velo is probably based on the AC15) then it'll be good.

 

[Strange Brew]

For 300 bucks you can get a Fender Blues Junior, which is a fabulous little all-valve 15w combo. I can personally reommend those.

Or a load of guys on here have got the hybrid (12AX7 powerred preamp) Vox AD30VT Valvetronix amps, which are even less money, and get rave reviews....

 

[swlabr67]

[quote author=Strange Brew link=topic=7329.msg92968#msg92968 date=1142379387]
For 300 bucks you can get a Fender Blues Junior, which is a fabulous little all-valve 15w combo.  I can personally reommend those.

[/quote]

i say blues junior.. ive played one at a gig and it held up with a marshall half-stack. ive been looking into getting one myself. but i dont have much money to spend.

 

[guitarweasel]

I'll second that........that's a great little amp !

 

[Strange Brew]

[quote author=wingsonstrings link=topic=7329.msg92918#msg92918 date=1142372474]...I have no experience with tube amp tweaking and there's nobody nearby, so it would have to be solid. Ideas?
[/quote]

,,,and you won't need to tweak it, either O0 (although you can.... later!)

 

[bloosman1]

If ya wanna go even more bare bones, a Fender Pro Jr. is a nice one too.

 

[1Way]

I've heard good things about the Blues Jr., and the Gibson GoldTone 5watt and larger (Goldtones are really great little amps but are more expensive). If your into Metal much, a little low wattage screamer is the Palomino amps made for Guitar Center by Crate. They are covered in white and have way more preamp gain than most tube amps. They make an 8/16/32 at very low prices. But see last para about repair and possible reliability issues.

As far as volume (and tone!) goes, speaker selection plays a large role. Plug a little 1watt Vex nano head into a 4x12 cab and you can get really loud. 5 watts of tube power can easily match or overpower drums "with the right speaker setup". I really like a 2x12 closed back cab. If built right (fairly large&deep), you can approach the improved base response of a 4x12, but with half the hassle lugging it around, plus it's cheaper too. However many single speaker cabs work great too!

If there's a PA involved, you might want to consider getting into a guitar cabinet mic to PA setup, that way you can cover about any venue.

If you would not mind trying your hand at electronics, AX84 dot com and 18watt dot com are amp building forums. Lethal voltages apply so safety is not optional. At the beginning possibly lots of frustrating downtime, troubleshooting and experimenting. But if you have the time and the desire, you might save yourself some bucks and end up with a better amp tailored to your personal preferences. I think Doberman amps sells kits and possibly completed amps for real economical prices.

Especially after you have narrowed down your main options, I suggest getting familiar your local amp repair shop(s). Ask them what holds up well and such. My amp tech says that if the amp has soldered on controls instead of wire leads to the main board, then the price for repair automatically goes way up. You can get into a cheaper amp now, but if something major goes wrong with it, fixing it can be considerably more difficult and expensive and time consuming.

 

[Metalmom]

[quote author=bloosman1 link=topic=7329.msg93057#msg93057 date=1142404099]
If ya wanna go even more bare bones, a Fender Pro Jr. is a nice one too.
[/quote]

I agree. The Pro Jr is nice

 

[wingsonstrings]

Thanks for all the suggestions. At last check, the Blues Jr. was $399 at MF (both blonde and brunette), a bit more than I could justify for my third amp. The Pro Jr. doesn't have reverb, which I forgot to mention is a criterium. Folks like the Vox hybrid? I'm interested in that warm, bluesy-rich but not mad-distorted metal tone...like Pagey used to do...

 

[SG dan]

Personally i would splurge and then go for the blues junior. I played one at L&M and it sounded fantastic for a little 15 watter. But then again ive never palyed though a valvetronix...

DAN

 

[1Way]

Third amp! I wonder if “liquidation” or “trade in” might apply here! My impression of the valvetronix amps are that although they are nice, they do not quite come off as a tube amp. Although to be honest I have not tried them out for a side by side comparison. A personal taste test might prove somewhat difficult to tell the difference. Good luck with the reverb tho, unless you get lucky, you might consider more of a solid state add on for that. The Fender reverb type amps usually are a bit more expensive and most smaller amps would tend to use digital effects to get reverb and such. The number two spot Palomino 16 has reverb but costs $400. Might do well with a used one?

Crate with spring reverb
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Guitar/Amps?sku=487826
I can tell you that the Celestion speaker is really good, and you can dial in bluesy gain to taste, it's not necessarily a metal amp. ZZTop has been pictured with these kind of amps on stage! They are worth a look...

Epiphone with digital effects at $300
I suspect it’s not the best craftsmanship, but it does have digital effects including reverb.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Guitar/Amps?sku=480259

I say liquidate, trade, save bucks and get something that you may be happier with... It's a hard lesson to learn, but typically compromises on your gear is all to often a hard pill to swallow after the honeymoon wares off.

 

[wingsonstrings]

The Blues Jr. and the Palomino both look interesting...and what you say is true. Compromising on quality always leads to disappointment.
I guess I'll have to start saving up. Between the Fender and the Crate, would most of you pick the Fender??

 

[Strange Brew]

The Fender for me...a much nicer package. And it's worth remembering that it will hold a better used-value should you ever want to sell it....