ANOTHER Low-Watt Tube Amp Thread

[Gibsonist]

After doing some research and asking myself a lot of questions, all I've managed to do... is come up with more questions.

With that being said, I'd like a little help with purchasing my next amp.

Here's the questionnaire:

How much would you like to spend?
- $300-$500

What's the absolute most you will spend?
- $550

How many years have you played guitar?
- 5 years

Do you seek tone quality or versatility?
- Tone Quality

What is your primary guitar (include pup type and configuration)?
- Gibson Midtown Standard with Bigsby ('57 Classic and '57 Classic Plus humbuckers, mainly on the bridge ('57 Classic Plus))

What style(s) of music do you primarily play?
- Blues, Classic Rock, Metal

What one guitarist do you wish to emulate?
- Adam Jones of TooL (LOVE that trebley sound!)

Do you prefer to plug straight in, or will you be using effects?
- Plugging straight in would be nice, but I'm not opposed to purchasing an effects pedal of sorts. Maybe a Tube Screamer?

What will be the primary use of the amp?
- bedroom/living room
- jam with friends (guitars, bass, drums, etc.)
- gigs (small venues)

Do you prefer a combo or head/cabinet (and why)?
- Combo for portability and price

What amplifier(s) do you have/had and why do you want a change?
- Line 6 Spider Jam: Incredibly versatile, but the tone quality is lacking. I love the sound of a tube amp and I'd like to purchase something that I can take with me to friends' houses and small gigs without too much physical strain. Additionally, something with a variable power output is very desirable (5w/15w, etc.) for switching between a bedroom jam or playing with friends.

Please list five amps (minimum) that you have researched (if you can't do this, you're not serious)

Carvin Vintage 16
Ibanez TSA15
Egnater 112 15w
Blackheart BH15-112
Bugera V22 22w


What did you like about them?

Carvin:
- Price
- Variable output (16w/5w)
- Variable speaker resistance (8ohm/16ohm)
- Customizable appearance/skins
- MADE IN USA! (Big deal for me, but I don't know where the other amps are made)

Ibanez:
- TS9 circuit built in.
- Variable output (15w/5w)

Egnater:
- Variable speaker resistance (4ohm/8ohm/16ohm)
- Versatile controls (Vintage/Modern, USA/AC/Brit, Bright/Normal, Tight/Deep)
- Effects loop

Blackheart:
- Variable output (15w/7w)
- Price

Bugera:
- Price
- Included footswitch
- Variable output
- Variable speaker resistance


What did you not like about them?

Carvin:
- Not as versatile as other amps, especially no OD channel.
- No opportunity to play one locally before buying.

Ibanez:
- No reverb

Egnater:
- Price
- No reverb

Blackheart:
- No reverb
- Solid State

Bugera:
- Price seems way low for all the features. Is it possible that it's too good to be true?
- No way to try one locally before buying.


Don't get me wrong, guys. Reverb is NOT a deal breaker. I could always buy a pedal later on.

Unfortunately, I haven't had much of an opportunity to compare these amps side by side, but I do know that I like the Egnater quite a bit. I haven't played a Carvin amp, but I hear good things and they sound great on paper. I hear nice things about Blackhearts, but never had an opportunity to play one. Same thing with the Ibanez. As far as the Bugera is concerned, I don't know anyone who has ever tried one, nor do I know of a local dealer.

Thanks in advance for all of the help!

[Totally Bored]

I'm confused, is there a question in your post that you want "us" to answer ?

[logen99999]

egnater makes the tweaker which is more dialed in for the classic rock stuff, but the rebel 20 is more geared for the modern type. not that it wont do classic though. I own the tweaker, great amp, and i hear nothing but good things about the rebel line.

i get the feeling you are looking for the higher gain stuff, leaning towards metal, right? maybe look at some offerings from blackstar. they are dialed in for more modern high gain stuff, and by no means will they be disappointing blues amps.

there is a TON of stuff to choose from in the 500$ range. you have to really just know EXACTLY what you want from an amp, then play a lot of different ones and decide.

or just take a plunge on something and see how you mingle with it for a few months, if you dont jive with it, sell it and get a different one. that's what i do.

edit: peavey classic 30. great budget amp. has reverb. tons of loudness. it will hurt you. stock speaker aint the best but if you swap it out with a celestion g12h it sounds like a nice marshall. the amp stock is not bad though.

[james beam]

I have the carvin vintage 16 , it has a soak control knob , to get the vintage overdrive (gain ) , its not a high gain amp , but it has some . I got one because they last for many years without issues ,

[Gibsonist]

Originally Posted by Totally Bored

I'm confused, is there a question in your post that you want "us" to answer ?

I just want some recommendations based upon the information I provided. Are the amps I'm looking at good choices? Is there a better choice I could go with? Etc.

Yes, higher gain would be nice. Blackstar is a brand I've considered, but their amps jump in outputs. I like the idea of their 5w, but I'm worried that if I use it with my friend on the drums, it won't loud enough. On the other hand, their 20w seems nice (albeit a bit out of my price range,) but there is no option to switch to a lower output if need be.

The Peavey Classic 30 seems like a nice amp, but at $650 and possibly looking at replacing the speaker, it's a bit out of my price range. It also may be a bit much for what I need.

[logen99999]

not sure if you considered this but the used markets will get you significantly lower prices for these amps.

[matthew bear]

Classic 30.

[Rhust]

Originally Posted by Gibsonist

I just want some recommendations based upon the information I provided. Are the amps I'm looking at good choices? Is there a better choice I could go with? Etc.

Yes, higher gain would be nice. Blackstar is a brand I've considered, but their amps jump in outputs. I like the idea of their 5w, but I'm worried that if I use it with my friend on the drums, it won't loud enough. On the other hand, their 20w seems nice (albeit a bit out of my price range,) but there is no option to switch to a lower output if need be.

The Peavey Classic 30 seems like a nice amp, but at $650 and possibly looking at replacing the speaker, it's a bit out of my price range. It also may be a bit much for what I need.

classic 30 can be had used for $200-250... it's a great amp

imo, don't get hung up on reverb from an amp, there are good pedals that can do it as well or better and be more versatile.

with adam jones in mind, the classic 30 might not get you THAT tone, but it's certainly loud enough for anything you want to do. adam used to use Mesa Dual rectifier, then went to diezel amps.

really, the egnater rebel or the blackstar seem more like what you would want... don't get hung up on the power soak, it doesn't reduce volume on any amp as much as it reduces the headroom. best of both/all worlds might be a tweaker, then add on a blackstar pedal for higher gain. another option would be a little more $, but an orange dark terror or jim root terror would def get you close to adam's sound imo. might get lucky on an older dark terror, now that the jim root is out

[drpietrzak]

Jet city of some type.

[shaun]

Originally Posted by drpietrzak

Jet city of some type.

I got a cheap 2ndhand Picovalve. Played it twice and sold it. It wasnt for me.

I found that it sounded the best in 5 watt mode with master on 10 and preamp on 7-8 at most.
For what i wanted it for, low volume practice, it wasnt practical.

It sounded thin and harsh (1 x 12 closedback greenback), with the master low, and then it had a buzzing, fuzzy distortion with the preamp on ful.

[logen99999]

fyi reverb is a safety net. unless you play songs that specifically rely on reverb IE surf rock, dont get too hung up on it. when you crank an amp it's own volume and intensity make up for no reverb. reverb is good for making low volume playing sounds a bit fuller. but live it's rarely useful. you might find it not needed at all once you start cranking an amp and playing in a band setting.

i used to be a huge reverb nut, but slowly stopped using it. high volume it just muddies up your tone.

[Cygnus X1]

Right on logen.
I've found the same over the years.

Some spam to take a look at:
Cygnus Amp 30 Watt For Sale

[singlecut]

New is for chumps.
Buy used get 2 for 1