Low Wattage Tube Amps for Practice

[efstop]

Lots of low watt amps have a headphone jack. The Class 5 had one 13 years ago (but it sucks.) And lots of tube amps will go below 1W. A DSL1C (or R) will go to .1W
None of the SS or digital suggestions given are tube, are they, now?

 

[Dolebludger]

My Bugera G5 tube head can be set for .1W, and is very quiet on that setting. Even through a 1X12 cab. But if the OP’s apartment is small and poorly constructed, a headphone amp like the little Vox I mentioned may be the best way to go. Very inexpensive too.

 

[solidwalnut]

My Bugera G5 tube head can be set for .1W, and is very quiet on that setting. Even through a 1X12 cab. But if the OP’s apartment is small and poorly constructed, a headphone amp like the little Vox I mentioned may be the best way to go. Very inexpensive too.

I think the OP will love the Bugera G5 solution, but also consider the Bugera V22 (head only or combo) option. There are less options than with the G5, but the V in 22 stands for vintage, if you're after that. Very reasonable price.

But I also agree that no amp and cab solution is great for an apartment. You want to hear the amp cranked. For that, I suggest picking up an Eleven Rack. Perfect for dialing in any stomp box and amp combinations and using either headphones or line-level speakers.

 

[jhgyugt765tr]

I have a Marshall Origin 20, and I use it with a Two Notes Captor X for the attenuator/headphone out. I can crank it and use headphones and not make any noise other than unamplified electric guitar string noise. It's the only way I can make tube amps feasible in an apartment. Sure you sacrifice some tone, and you don't get any air moving, but you'll never get that in an apartment anyway, and at least this way you can get your power tubes cooking.

 

[nauc]

Studio One

 

[Soul Tramp]

I think a tweed Champ is the best low-watt amp of all. Stick an OD pedal in front and you have everything covered. But it has to be a quality build, and have a quality 10" alnico speaker. You can probably find clone-builders on ebay that sell such things.

I built one for my personal use. And, no I don't sell them. But look around on ebay for someone who does. The trick is quality components and quality10" alnico speaker.

 

[mdubya]

Studio One

100 db, very usable in an apartment.

 

[Lungo]

Some interesting amps here. I own a 3350LT that sounds very good at whisper volumes. He makes a 1/4 watt amp also.

My only complaint is the “30 day build time” took 6 months. That was over ten years ago though. Maybe he got his shit together.

Mahaffay Amplifiers, Tube Amplifiers Tube Amps, Tube Amp, Amplifier Accessories

 

[CarreraSL]

I also think a tube amp is not suited for appartment use.
I Have a JTM1, but if you want to sound it like a Marshall, you have to crank it up. And then it‘s too loud, even at 0,1 Watt.

My solution is headphones, for example with an iridium or UAFX pedal. So I can play loud and uninhibited without disturbing others.
Or one of these pedals into studio monitors.

 

[cherrysunburst00]

Pricey and somewhat hard to get; Marshall JCM 1C. It has the .1 watt button and master volume. It's what I play at super low volumes when Mrs csb has a migraine (She is super sensitive to sounds when She has a migraine)

 

[Dolebludger]

This may be only partially on topic, but the problem of getting amps (of any sort) to sound good at low volumes has been ongoing for over 60 years that I personally know of. With the old tube amps of the 1960s that lacked master volumes, it was very hard to get a good tone even at volumes suitable for a gig at a rather small venue. The SS amps that came along in the 1970s were no help, as they didn’t sound good at any volume, IMHO. Apartment playing? Define “apartment” please. Is it a newer, well constructed building, or some 100 year old large house that has been cheaply divided up? If the former, my G5 would be playable there. If the latter, no tube (or other) amp through a speaker will work. An example is that my G5 sounds good at TV volume levels. So if the OP here can watch TV in his apartment without disturbing neighbors, an ultra low wattage tube amp should be fine. If this is also a problem, a headphone amp is the only way to go.

 

[Big John]

The limited 1w Marshall stuff that came out in 2012 is great. Also, maybe look for the Bogner Panama and Brixton from the same era.

 

[CB91710]

100 db, very usable in an apartment.

@NorlinBlackBeauty built one.
It's actually a very nice, usable amp.

Of course, for the cost, and lacking a cabinet, the DSL-1 really is a better value, and the clean channel is better than the Studio One.
Studio One is $450 without the cabinet. Their Marshall-style head cabinet is $360, so you're into the Studio One for around $800 and it still has to be built.
Even with Marshall's recent price increases, DSL1 with the 8" speaker combo is $600, and it's $920 for the 1x12 "Half-Stack"

 

[ErictheRed]

Tube amps really aren't meant for apartment practice, you would most likely do much better with a solid state amp of some kind like a Boss Katana. However...

What you could do is buy a tube amp with an excellent Master Volume and/or a very low power setting. You might be really surprised at how loud many 5-ish watt tube amps are when they really get cooking! But something like a Suhr Badger (one of my favorite amps) can be power scaled all the way down to under a Watt. I love the Badger 35, and it excels at edge-of-breakup chimey tones at most any volume.

Other amps, like many modern Mesas, have fantastic Master Volume circuits and you might find that a Fillmore 50 or Fillmore 25 or Mark V:25 or mini Rectoverb or TA-15 would suit you really well at home and with a band. Some of them also have headphone outs. Something along those lines would be my recommendation.

Bear in mind that you have to get the speakers moving a bit to sound the way that you want any guitar amp to, and that's limiting. If you truly want the best tones possible at television volumes then I don't think that tube amps are the way to go.

I don't really believe in tubes as dedicated practice amps, but you can definitely get an excellent tube amp that will be awesome with a band and pretty darn good at home.

 

[Dolebludger]

It would be nice if the OP lives in a place with good “brick and mortar” local music stores with a good stock of amps. I don’t live in a place with a store with a good stock, but we do have a good store. I was wondering around there when I saw the G5 amp head used on consignment for $180, in mint condition. Because I’m a local and the store people know me, they allowed me to take it home for a few days to see if it fit the need. It did. As new, they are $263 new at Sweetwater, I just paid the $180 with no dickering. In short, if you are looking for a “special purpose amp” the rule of “play before you pay” is very important. Now, as to speaker cabs for a head (or speaker in a combo) we want the LOWEST specific efficiency available (these are usually the cheapest too). Nothing over 90 db at 1W 1 meter — preferably lower. And I would recommend a cheap 12” size, for guitar. Whatever those speakers they used to put in those old Silvertone/Danelectro amps would work great. They tended to blow at gig volumes, but were sweet at practice volumes.

 

[Gridlock]

More than 5 watts but still a great sounding low-volume and at-home practice amp (OD pedal needed for higher gain at low volumes).

My Supro Black Magick sounds big and full with plenty of bottom end at low or gig volumes. I got this amp in a multi gear trade without even trying it. Very happy that I picked it up.

 

[cherrysunburst00]

More than 5 watts but still a great sounding low-volume and at-home practice amp (OD pedal needed for higher gain at low volumes).

My Supro Black Magick sounds big and full with plenty of bottom end at low or gig volumes. I got this amp in a multi gear trade without even trying it. Very happy that I picked it up.

View attachment 663635

BAD ASS, a "The Paul"

 

[Dolebludger]

My Bugera V22 12” combo amp has settings for 22 and 13 W. But, to my ears it has a very low output speaker. It sounds like it has a soft cone like 1960 Silvertones, and it would probably blow if cranked to 10. Something about the speaker and/or amp electronics produces a tone that is loaded lo lower mids and soft lows. Thus when you reduce the volume to apartment levels the tone doesn’t thin out like it does in most amps. It remains rich and full. The “V” stands for vintage, so it won’t enter metal territory without a pedal, which it takes better than any other amp. But with a Schaffer Replica pedal on the front end it sounds like a Marshall,— even at very low volumes. Probably other pedals would do pretty much the same. The V22 sells new for $453 and much less used. Then all you need is a pedal, only if you want to go beyond vintage distortion

 

[Teledan]

What about one of these?

The Amp

The Amp is a full featured 50W Guitar amplifier in a pedal. A high voltage tube preamp with EQ meets a 50W power amplifier with reverb and tremolo.

milkmansound.com

 

[tallcoolone]

None of the SS or digital suggestions given are tube, are they, now?

Prob because for the OPs situation a tube amp is the without question the wrong choice. As is a guitar speaker in all honestly—at those levels modeling through studio monitors is always a better choice.