Help with first tube amp

[evh3134]

New to the forum here. Basically, I've been playing my epi custom for about 8 years after graduating from a fender squire (hey, I was only 14) and marshall solid state (not a big fan). Now that I've saved up some $ over my poor college times, I'm ready to dive into some real tube tones. No guitar store close to me to test amps, but a guitar center within about 2 hours. I've done hours of research and watched countless videos, and have seemed to narrow down my search. I'm looking for a fairly versatile amp that gives sparkling cleans yet can be pushed into a very nice fairly heavy modern rock type distortion. So far I've considered...

Vox ac15c1-I absolutely love the clean sound of the vox, but my only worry is its sound versatility, and that I won't be able to get a fairly heavy distorted tone without pedals. (Fell in love with the vox at a Jimmy Eat World concert, he uses the AC30. Like the band or not, his tone was incredible)

Blackstar HT-20: From the vids, it seems like a pretty versatile amp, but my worry is the lack of sparkling cleans, and maybe a little too high gain/metal sounding

Peavey Classic 30: I like the sounds of the classic 30, but once again I worry it may be a little too "country" sounding and not be capable of heavier distortion

Orange Tiny Terror: I love the sound with the tubes cranked up, but the lack of cleans worries me a bit. Also only 1 channel, and seems like it COULD be more of a one trick pony. Also a little more $ than I'd like to spend.

Sorry for the life story, but I respect the opinions of the experienced players on here, and don't have many more options of knowledgeable people to talk to. Any light shed on my situation would be greatly appreciated

p.s Will be playing at bedroom levels most of the time, but also jam at times and plan to play smaller bars/clubs eventually.

[White94RX]

If you can make it to GC, see if they've got a Jet City 20 watt. It comes in a head, or a combo. It's a great little amp, and very good buy for the money. It's one channel, but does clean and dirty very well. I almost bought one.

Clean: Master up, gain down
Dirty: Gain up, master down

Simple to dial in your sound.

[SexyGibson]

You're gonna get 3 dozen different responses to this but heres mine. I am going to recommend a Fender Super Champ XD, not because its what Im playing right now, but due to your needs.
It has sparkling Fender clean tone but can be pushed into headbanging territory if you choose. You also stated that you want to play at bedroom levels, which this amp can do.
It is about as close to the perfect amp as I have found.

[blamo]

i thought the ac15 and ac30 were different beasts?

the night train has more gain on tap than the ac15 i believe.

what about a tweaker? i love mine.

[evh3134]

I'm not completely familiar with the ac15 vs the ac30, but from what I read I thought i saw it mentioned that the new model ac15 tried to incorporate more options from the ac30. I may be wrong, but I THOUGHT thats what i saw. I also have looked into the night train, I guess i was just put off because of the price tag being a little higher. Maybe I just need to wait a little and save up more

[blamo]

IIRC the night train is cheaper than the ac15. BUT you have to buy a cab. if you can get a dael on a used one, you're set.

ive never played a night train though, so i dont know where it sits.

[evh3134]

Sorry, I meant more simply because I was adding the head plus the night train cab together. Decisions, decisions...

[nauc]

i love my Classic 30... too country? wtf, lol. anyway, i like to play Hendrix, RATM, Metallica, Buckethead, Led Zep, Nirvana, Cream, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, GNR, ZZ Top etc

[evh3134]

Didn't mean it like that sorry, I only said that because the one time I've seen it played, it was a country cover band, and some videos I saw were playing country/bluesy type riffs with it. Obviously it's more versatile than that though

[blamo]

i think you need to visit the local guitar shop and try out as many amps as you possibly can and not judge its tone on other performances.

[evh3134]

I plan to do that eventually, but being 2 hours away, in college, and working makes it hard pressed to find the time. I wanted to get as much info here as possible so I may have an idea of which models to focus on and look more into

[River]

If you see something used you've never heard of, plug in and try it out anyway. That's how I found my tube amp. It's a Fender they only made for three years, almost impossible to find reviews of on the web, switchable between 12.5 and 50 watts, two channels (clean and gain) that are perfect (for me).

It's nice when the right gear comes to you, because sifting through all of the ads and recommendations can be overwhelming.

[blamo]

Originally Posted by River

If you see something used you've never heard of, plug in and try it out anyway. That's how I found my tube amp. It's a Fender they only made for three years, almost impossible to find reviews of on the web, switchable between 12.5 and 50 watts, two channels (clean and gain) that are perfect (for me).

It's nice when the right gear comes to you, because sifting through all of the ads and recommendations can be overwhelming.

true that. i was looking at vox, marshall, fender and had NO IDEA what i wanted. a few guys here suggested the tweaker and I LOOOOVE it.

even played a bunch of fenders, marshalls, blackstars and voxes before i got the tweaker

[Thumpalumpacus]

Classic 30 + distortion pedal of your choice = wide tonal range. The Classic will do great distortions by itself so long as you're not expecting to be in Mesa/Bogner territory.

[Allan 63]

Fender Blues Jnr amp 15 watt of pure class.

Allan

[rjwilson37]

Originally Posted by evh3134

Blackstar HT-20: From the vids, it seems like a pretty versatile amp, but my worry is the lack of sparkling cleans, and maybe a little too high gain/metal sounding

Peavey Classic 30: I like the sounds of the classic 30, but once again I worry it may be a little too "country" sounding and not be capable of heavier distortion

Orange Tiny Terror: I love the sound with the tubes cranked up, but the lack of cleans worries me a bit. Also only 1 channel, and seems like it COULD be more of a one trick pony. Also a little more $ than I'd like to spend.

p.s Will be playing at bedroom levels most of the time, but also jam at times and plan to play smaller bars/clubs eventually.

3 Really good choices. I would do the Blackstar HT-20, it does have good cleans and very versatile for your sound. The Peavy Classic 30 is nice and can get loud, but you really need it loud to get a good break up for gain.

I have heard a lot of good things on the Tiny Terror, but still not as versatile as the HT-20, which is what I would choose if I were you. For only $100 more you can get the HT-40, so you have the extra headroom in your back pocket if you need it. I think the HT-20 would be plenty for you though based on what you said about playing bedroom levels and smaller bars/clubs later down the road.

[evh3134]

Also started looking into the Egnater Tweaker combo. Not a name I was familiar with, but looking more into it most people seem to really like the versatility and the tone.

[blamo]

i have the head and cab. it is fantastic. i would recommend giving it a go if you have the chance.

my only complaint is its too loud for my living room amp. would love a master volume on it.

[logen99999]

your going to get tons of responses from people with no amp being crowd favorite. everybody has a specific taste.

it's your first amp so i wouldn't obsess so much about it. get the vox. it's a great amp. later down the line when you start to refine your taste in tone and music you can look into other more esoteric amps but for now just go with the vox. you'll be happy you did.

[evh3134]

I thought the Tweaker had a master volume? I must have read it wrong

[blamo]

negatory. it has a volume and a gain knob only.

[evh3134]

Well this complicates things once again...I dont mind the noise myself, but I'm afraid if i wanted a great tone out of it, the volume wouldn't make many residents of my apartment complex very happy

[River]

Originally Posted by blamo

negatory. it has a volume and a gain knob only.

What's the proper term for that setup? My clean channel has "Volume". My Gain channel has "Gain" and "Volume". I would call the latter a "Master Volume Channel". Seems to me like it serves the same purpose, and I get great dirty tone at low volumes - plenty dirty enough for Whole Lotta Love (live) with the Gain on 5. What's that properly called?

[blamo]

Originally Posted by River

What's the proper term for that setup? My clean channel has "Volume". My Gain channel has "Gain" and "Volume". I would call the latter a "Master Volume Channel". Seems to me like it serves the same purpose, and I get great dirty tone at low volumes - plenty dirty enough for Whole Lotta Love (live) with the Gain on 5. What's that properly called?

I would love to answer your question, but i have no idea.

i personally like my amp set with gain ~4-5 and volume at 6.

this however is insanely loud. if i could get the same break up and distortion but at a lower level i would be insanely happy (so would my neuighbour) a master volume, attenuator or power scaling would be useful in this situation.

[nauc]

Originally Posted by rjwilson37

3 Really good choices. I would do the Blackstar HT-20, it does have good cleans and very versatile for your sound. The Peavy Classic 30 is nice and can get loud, but you really need it loud to get a good break up for gain.

I have heard a lot of good things on the Tiny Terror, but still not as versatile as the HT-20, which is what I would choose if I were you. For only $100 more you can get the HT-40, so you have the extra headroom in your back pocket if you need it. I think the HT-20 would be plenty for you though based on what you said about playing bedroom levels and smaller bars/clubs later down the road.

not true. i usually run my C30s volume around 1.5-1.75 at home. its very dirty and sounds great. with the volume set to 2, about 10-15 feet away, im hitting 90dbs.

[rjwilson37]

Originally Posted by evh3134

Well this complicates things once again...I dont mind the noise myself, but I'm afraid if i wanted a great tone out of it, the volume wouldn't make many residents of my apartment complex very happy

The Blackstar HT-20 gain channel will most likely sound better at lower volume levels than the others.

[River]

Originally Posted by rjwilson37

The Blackstar HT-20 gain channel will most likely sound better at lower volume levels than the others.

Is that a 20-watter? I know wattage is only part of the equation, but my Pro Reverb sounds lush, and even the clean channel breaks up just a lovely tad when played hard, at a level where Riverette can still hear the TV in the next room.

The first two days I had the amp, I was disappointed in how loud I had to play it. Then I found I had accidentally flipped the power switch from 1/4 to Full without realizing it.

[D_Strasse]

What's wrong with adding a pedal? A tube screamer/derivative sounds absolutely killer on tube amp IMHO. And the right one can give you so many tonal options.

[River]

Originally Posted by D_Strasse

What's wrong with adding a pedal? A tube screamer/derivative sounds absolutely killer on tube amp IMHO. And the right one can give you so many tonal options.

Nothing for some; nothing at all. But I have a personal belief that if I NEED a pedal (overdrive/distortion, that is), I bought the wrong amp.

[nauc]

Originally Posted by River

Nothing for some; nothing at all. But I have a personal belief that if I NEED a pedal (overdrive/distortion, that is), I bought the wrong amp.

i get what youre saying but sometimes its not practical. not everyone can buy and play every amp around to find their dream tone. sometimes getting pretty close and adding a pedal or switching pups is good enough

i love my amp but at lower volumes, the highs arent there as much as id like, so i got an MXR 10 band eq and its perfect now

but cranked, my C30 sounds perfect without the eq

i guess i got lucky cause i didnt have to do much but im a big supporter of EQs. i think most audio devices should have them. i have one in my car too, which has a $1,500 stereo (Alpine deck, Oz Audio comp speakers, RE sub, Cadence amps). its a lot of trouble finding the right gear to get the perfect sound, esp in a car. car audio is a major pita without processing.