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mono · 02-28-2010, 01:22 PM

The Class5 is a good amp, but you will not get any distortion/overdrive unless you start to crank up the volume, and 5w is sure enough to piss off your neighbours/flatmates/parents. It is a very simple amp, and that is part of its charm, but unless you plan to use a pedal infront of it, I wouldn't recommend it for home use.

The Blackstar HT-5 is a great amp, and I am pretty sure it comes in a combo form if you look for it. Might be wrong though. It has a Gain control so will definitely be able to provide you with some distortion/overdrive at very reasonable levels at home. Again, as a 5w amp, it can get pretty loud so you might be able to gig with it if the drummer is reasonable. True, it isn't 100% tube driven or handwired, not a boutique amp by a longshot, but from what I hear it can cover a LOT of bases very convincingly - from Fender cleans to Marshall crunch to Mesa Boogie saturation (someone correct me if I am wrong). If you are looking for a first tube amp, you couldn't go far wrong with it.

I don't really have any experience of the Haze. I did once own a cheap Marshall amp with built in effects and I will say that having have proper tube amps since then, it left a lot to be desired.

Hope that helps...

02-28-2010, 01:22 PM	#3 (permalink)
mono Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: London Posts: 5,833 Thanks: 25 Thanked 66 Times in 25 Posts	Re: Help in choosing the right amp. The Class5 is a good amp, but you will not get any distortion/overdrive unless you start to crank up the volume, and 5w is sure enough to piss off your neighbours/flatmates/parents. It is a very simple amp, and that is part of its charm, but unless you plan to use a pedal infront of it, I wouldn't recommend it for home use. The Blackstar HT-5 is a great amp, and I am pretty sure it comes in a combo form if you look for it. Might be wrong though. It has a Gain control so will definitely be able to provide you with some distortion/overdrive at very reasonable levels at home. Again, as a 5w amp, it can get pretty loud so you might be able to gig with it if the drummer is reasonable. True, it isn't 100% tube driven or handwired, not a boutique amp by a longshot, but from what I hear it can cover a LOT of bases very convincingly - from Fender cleans to Marshall crunch to Mesa Boogie saturation (someone correct me if I am wrong). If you are looking for a first tube amp, you couldn't go far wrong with it. I don't really have any experience of the Haze. I did once own a cheap Marshall amp with built in effects and I will say that having have proper tube amps since then, it left a lot to be desired. Hope that helps...