Your Valve Amp Recommendations?

Terexgeek · Post by **Terexgeek** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 6:32 pm

I have been contemplating purchasing a valve amp for a wee while. The Fender practice amp I have produces a fair sound but no real bass just mids and highs

. I like it's sound with it's single tube pre-amp but I want more volume, a better balanced tone and something I can take to jam sessions and be heard.
Mr DarcyPerry's Fender Deluxe has really impressed me but at 40 watts it's too much, I prefer the sound of cranking a smaller amp rather than choking back a grunter...
Mostly it'd be employed for blues noodling, jazz faking and the occasional classic rock pretending.
I'm looking for bang for buck, but, and it's a big butt

, I'm biased AGAINST Peavy (I just am dammit

)and the whole Line 6 amp modelling thing. The Line 6 style of thing sounds okay (and just okay) in the store and probably in a pub full of punters it'll be like having every amp you could ever need, however, they don't seem to "feel right", my opinion anyway...
Budget is a consideration, and I don't see the point in spending $4K on a small amp.
So to summarise, I'd like a small valve amp with a good tone for a reasonable price: may I have suggestions please

Vorbis · Post by **Vorbis** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 6:50 pm

Sorry, Peavey classic 30. Loud enough to Jam with, small enough to crank, great for blues, Jazz and Rock.
They've gone up to about $1500 new, $800 tops second hand. El84's so you'll have to put up with the extreme harshness

Other than that a fender blues jnr with a few pedals might see you right.

Post by **GrantB** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 7:50 pm

Are you looking for clean for cranked sound with this smaller amp? Or both?

Terexgeek · Post by **Terexgeek** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 7:56 pm

*UNIQUE* wrote:Are you looking for clean for cranked sound with this smaller amp? Or both?

Lovin' that sound that's clean when picked quietly but breaks up when you dig in. Also love classic rock sounds, not so much the high gain stuff, love the guys who play it, it's just not what I play...

Terexgeek · Post by **Terexgeek** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 7:59 pm

Terexgeek wrote:
*UNIQUE* wrote:Are you looking for clean for cranked sound with this smaller amp? Or both?
Lovin' that sound that's clean when picked quietly but breaks up when you dig in. Also love classic rock sounds, not so much the high gain stuff, love the guys who play it, it's just not what I play...

Also cool when you can change the amps sound by using the guitar volume knob, maybe no-one does that anymore...

Post by **GrantB** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:46 pm

Terexgeek wrote:
Terexgeek wrote:
*UNIQUE* wrote:Are you looking for clean for cranked sound with this smaller amp? Or both?
Lovin' that sound that's clean when picked quietly but breaks up when you dig in. Also love classic rock sounds, not so much the high gain stuff, love the guys who play it, it's just not what I play...
Also cool when you can change the amps sound by using the guitar volume knob, maybe no-one does that anymore...

Yep they do! Ah, maybe for bang vs. buck which was your spec, an LC15 or LC15R, which can be bought occaisionally for about $450 used, would work? However they have a 10" speaker, which by itself really won't do. I use mine with a 2x12 and the sound is huge.

I built an amp to do exactly what you describe because really, you cannot walk into a shop and buy a decent priced 12 watt valve amp that breaks up nicely! And by decent price I mean around $750-$900. You certainly cannot buy a tweed deluxe for that money, which is what I built. All up I spent $900 and basically got a Fender Tweed Deluxe (or Victoria - it is modded the same way)...

That whole volume knob break up thing is the greatest...it's all about getting the combinations so the volume is right at both levels and the break up is a little controlled...why the heck have I got so many pedals then? Oh yeah, that's right, becuase I'm a foolish waster of money on (sometimes not so) cool guitar stuff...

Terexgeek · Post by **Terexgeek** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:59 pm

[quote="*UNIQUE*"]
I built an amp to do exactly what you describe because really, you cannot walk into a shop and buy a decent priced 12 watt valve amp that breaks up nicely! And by decent price I mean around $750-$900. You certainly cannot buy a tweed deluxe for that money, which is what I built. All up I spent $900 and basically got a Fender Tweed Deluxe (or Victoria - it is modded the same way)...
[quote]

Your own amp? Very cool, tempted to do that but I tend to only weld a soldering iron every now and then...what sort of experience would you recommend to dive into such a project???

Post by **GrantB** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 9:24 pm

Terexgeek wrote:
*UNIQUE* wrote: I built an amp to do exactly what you describe because really, you cannot walk into a shop and buy a decent priced 12 watt valve amp that breaks up nicely! And by decent price I mean around $750-$900. You certainly cannot buy a tweed deluxe for that money, which is what I built. All up I spent $900 and basically got a Fender Tweed Deluxe (or Victoria - it is modded the same way)...
Your own amp? Very cool, tempted to do that but I tend to only weld a soldering iron every now and then...what sort of experience would you recommend to dive into such a project???

Drinking - yes drinking is quite handy when dealing with high voltages...seems to take the edge off when things go wrong...

Seriosuly, I am not a tech whiz at all. I understand basic electronics, can solder a pretty clean and good joint, have good analysis skills, and know when a bottle of cab sav is required. You can do it. Maybe try something like an effects pedal first to get you going. I got two kits, one from http://www.ceriatone.com and one from http://www.tedweber.com - both are good kits but the customer service from Ceriatone leaves Weber in the dust. My tranny blew (!) last week...a new one is here, as we speak, and was discounted because we couldn't trace the fault. They stand up to their product and answer e-mails promptly, where as Weber wouldn't even know what day of the week it was, even though Ted is truly an amp guru of great unearthly powers! Good luck with it all. If you're through Hamilton PM me and you can try these kits if you want. Cheers

Terexgeek · Post by **Terexgeek** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 10:33 pm

*UNIQUE* wrote:Drinking - yes drinking is quite handy when dealing with high voltages...seems to take the edge off when things go wrong...

/.../If you're through Hamilton PM me and you can try these kits if you want. Cheers

Thank you, that's an option I hadn't fully considered, I had only considered building from plans, and that's not so appealing...

Cheers Unique, food for thought indeed

Terexgeek · Post by **Terexgeek** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 11:03 pm

Bearing in mind I don't have a vast budget to experiment I thought I'd pick some brains:
what determines going for closed back/versus open back cabs/combo, other than sheer volume, what sound qualities do 2x cabs/combos have versus 4x and finally 10" versus 12" speakers, who choses what why?
Broadly speaking, and proofreading myself, I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew with these questions...

Post by **GrantB** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 10:25 am

By the way, drinking and high voltages do not mix...tongue was in cheek! I would recommend a totally peaceful and sober frame of mind...

There's heaps of closed/open back cab opinions on the web - go googling. I am going to build a cnvertable cab next like the onbes these dudes make...open or closed.

http://www.kwcabs.com

Some nice stuff here - can you imagine how heavy some of those hardwood cabs would be!

ash · Post by **ash** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 11:00 am

If you've never owned a valve amp before, building your own may not be as useful as it is for the likes of Unique, simply because you don't neccesarily hear the ear for what its supposed to sound like. When I built my first few I thought they sounded weak, but people in the know thought otherwise.

On the question of cab format, you may be struggling to find many sub 40W tube amps that aren't open back 1x10 or 1x12 combos anyway.

Here's a fruity idea... How about a Sovtek Mig50 modified to run 6V6s as RobRoyMcCoy has done to TMG's death star? get one of DC's 1x12 or 2x12 cabs and scar people without (immediately) deafening them.