1X10" All-Tube Combo - Sight Unseen - HELP!

[Benoit Trow]

Long story short, I'm living in Bogotá, Colombia, will probably be here at least a year and putting together a band/combo playing a wide variety of music, everything from country to rock to pop tunes from the 20s, 30s & 40s. I don't have the luxury of trying any amps, they're simply not available!

Being "old-school", I want an all-tube amplifier that's as small as I can find, ideally w/ a 10" speaker, worst case scenario 8". The amp will be delivered to me packed, along w/ clothes, etc., in a large suitcase from the U.S.

I've been checking-out everything I can on-line, reading reviews, speaking w/ dealers, etc. At this point, my 1st. 2 choices would be Matchless's "The Baby" and Mark Sampson's Star Amplifiers Nova 5 watt 1x10" Comb. In addition, perhaps Rivera's Venus 3 15W 1x10 or their Clubster 25W 1x10.

I'll be playing ONE guitar, a Les Paul (2002 R8 w/ Burstbucker type 2 & 3 P/Us) through whichever amp I choose and using it to practice in my apartment, rehearse and gigs at small (read VERY small & mic'd) clubs. Obviously, I'm searching for tone first and foremost, quality build, guarantee, etc. AND something I'll easily be able to transport, especially bringing it back here to Colombia! In other words, something that can fit inside a big suitcase returning to Bogotá.

Lastly, do I/should I outfit whichever amp I buy with an attenuator? I want to retain "tone" while still being able to practice, rehearse, etc. Are there other amps you'd suggest me looking at? Anyway, your thoughts, opinions, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated!

PS as you can see, I have some "killer" amps, all too big for this task AND, The Boogie I have is sweet, but I find using it very complicated and really a pain in the ass - I crave simplicity, portability and TONE, TONE, TONE!!!!!!

 

[hipofutura]

Have you considered the Vox AC4TV 1x10 combo. It's a tiny amp with great clean tones and classic OD. Has a built in attenuator. Would easily fit in a suitcase. Lots of reviews on MLP and sound clips on youtube.

Will a 4/5 watt amp be loud enough for your purposes? I doubt you could gig with it unless you use a PA.

 

[Grand Pappy]

Mesa Boogie 5:25 Express w/ 1x10" Black Shadow speak. Has 4 modes - clean, crunch, blues and burn, plus reverb.
Switchable from 5 watts to 25 watts. Small, lite and versatile. sounds awesome.

 

[Big John]

The Clubster and 5:25 would be great choices. The Clubster might be easier to dial in, but the tones are definitely different between the two.

If you don't need 2 channels and are comfortable with a single channel amp, the Fender Pro Junior is good choice. I used mine a few weeks ago in a small club blues jam (crowd size around 60, club size around 1800 sq.ft.). The other guitarist was using a HotRod Deville 2x12, the bass player was running a Mesa Walkabout 4x10 rig, and the drummer was a meduim loud hitter. The tone, volume, gain level, and dynamics of that little Pro Jr. were perfect in that setting, un-mic'd.

 

[mattymel]

i have a headstrong lil king that sounds great with a 10" weber speaker. basically a princeton reverb clone. great overdriven sound past 4 on the volume, and works great with pedals. cant recommend it enough.

 

[Benoit Trow]

I'm now looking at the Mesa Boogie 5:25 Express 1x10 combo! If it fit's in a large suitcase, it may be the one. Cheers & Thanks! Trow

 

[Big John]

Mesa 5:25 1x10 combo: 19"(w) x 11.25"(d) x 16.25"(h); 38 lbs.

Pretty big suitcase (especially the depth), but still do-able.

Take a look at the manual here.

 

[LPCustom72]

I am in the Washington DC area. By pure chance I ran across this amp called a Meteoro. It has a 10 inch speaker, 15 watt output. It is the Harp Blues 15 model. Bought it used for $200.

It is amazing. Clean it is a sweet and crystally. Overdriven it is really fat and chunky but warm. It also behaves like a Trainwreck. You can overdrive the amp but back your volume to 2 or 3 and the volume will be the same as on 7 or 8 but the overdrive is cut. You can manage your tone from your volume controls.

Oddly enough Meteoro is a Brazilian amp company. The web address is Meteoro. Somehow this one made it to the US. See if shops in Colombia carry it.

 

[dennistruckdriver]

Fender Pro Junior or something along the lines of a Vibro Champ.