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Buying a small tube amp for home/performance use... suggestions?


steve_man

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Okay, used to have several tube amps... LOVED a couple of them. However, money got tight when I lived in Austin and I had to sell them all. Now back in New Mexico, and am thinking about getting another one. I want something small enough to use at home, but having a large enough speaker to sound good when miced up.

 

I used to have an AC15 and a Hot Rod Deluxe. Also owned a Marshall and a Crate. If I had to pick a favorite for clean tone, it would have been the Fender. However, I am a Vox fan, and like the tone of their tube amps right on the edge of breakup. I have a small Vox Pathfinder, which sounds fine for low volume stuff.

 

Anyways, just curious about the options out there...

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Fender Pro Junior 2 el84 tubes 15 watts 10" speaker buy used $200-$300 and 20 lb. These are Great amps Jeff Beck used them for his tribute to Les Paul and I personally uses 2 in stereo for live and studio gigs.

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you could try vox ac 4 12" or a the new vox ac10...

 

whats your budget?

 

The AC10 was the first thing that crossed my mind too. I haven't tried one yet, so I don't know if it can hang with a band, but it would seem to be the "right size" for home use and more suitable for live use (when miked up) than something like an AC4.

 

Of course a Princeton would also be a good choice. In fact, a Princeton and a AC10 together would be a really nice pair. :)

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Your budget will have a lot to with what you can get obviously.

 

FWIW I'm with you on the Fender/Vox strong points. I feel I have the best of both worlds with my combos (both purchased new- Fender PRRI~$850, Vox NT15 ~$350). Both good at lower volume levels, but can hold up in a band setting (I usually mic at least the Princeton though depending on where). I've played events with them both together and they do get along nice with each other.

 

image_zpsxr7iugqs.jpeg

 

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Pro Jr.just have tone and volume controls B Jr. has more control but don't sound as good even with a 12" speaker. I really don't know why. Try one out you'll like it think Vox / fender/ Baby Marshall.

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Your budget will have a lot to with what you can get obviously.

 

FWIW I'm with you on the Fender/Vox strong points. I feel I have the best of both worlds with my combos (both purchased new- Fender PRRI~$850, Vox NT15 ~$350). Both good at lower volume levels, but can hold up in a band setting (I usually mic at least the Princeton though depending on where). I've played events with them both together and they do get along nice with each other.

 

image_zpsxr7iugqs.jpeg

 

Man, that's a killer setup! I used to run my AC15 and Hot Rod at the same time, using a splitter pedal. Sounded SO good! So, that's a night train model? Wonder how it compares to the AC10?

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i like my laney cub 12... solid little amp... the great thing is it has a 1 watt input for lower volume... nice and light.. takes pedals well

 

we're not talking pristine fender cleans... but it's just a good solid little tube amp that sounds good at low volume as well as at the full 15 watts

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How bout one of these 15W monoprice tube amps. Reverb and Celestion speaker. Pretty good deal for $227 and its probably simple enough to modify it to sound like other amps. They make a 5 watter too. http://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=115&cp_id=11501&cs_id=1150102&p_id=611815&seq=1&format=2

 

 

6118154.jpg

 

 

 

 

6118151.jpg

 

 

Those are re-badged Laney Cub 12R amps.

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Rebadging a product is usually done by one manufacturer for a retailer. they usually have an agreement not to undersell the manufacturer and keep the price competitive.

 

Since most of what Monoprice sells comes straight from China I suspect their amps are bought from the same factory Laney gets their amps built.

I don't call that branding, I classify it in the category of a company pirating one manufacturers design and selling it to another company.

 

This stuff goes on all the time over there. Companies that have products built there have no protections whatsoever. What seems to happen is, a company gets one of these manufacturers to build them a product. If it doesn't sell real well, then that factory will simply keep making it and sell it to the highest bidder. There's nothing exclusive about Lanely's claim on the amp, because quite frankly, all patents on all these amps ran out ages ago.

 

Instead of that factory retooling to make different chassis or cabs, they simply make some minor changes and sell it to someone else who has the cash to buy in bulk. Maybe they make a few small changes that affect the tone. That's all Laney did when they copied other manufacturers designs. Thy all use the same tubes so you can only vary the designs slightl;y and still have those tubes function.

 

It does use a Celestion and cost at least $100 less then the Laney however. If its the same amp circuitry then they did a better job building them for monoprice. Question is will they continue to make them. they've been out of the 5 watt amps for a month already.

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For much of my home recording I do mostly a PRRI (12 watts) and a Gibson GA 5 Les Paul Jr Goldtone (5 watts) amp.

 

I have gigged with both amps, but I would recommend an amp with a bit more power.

 

I have other amps too, including a Marshall Class 5 combo.

 

I kinda like and use the Gibson the most, One volume knob and is a basic building block for any pedals you want to throw at it.

 

 

 

 

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I've never owned or tried an AC10 so I can't really comment on it. I have played an AC15 & the night train is in the same ballpark as it, but the night train doesn't have tremolo & its digital reverb is kind of meh. I would have preferred the AC15 but the price I got the night train for was too good to pass up. Besides if I need tremolo (rarely) or reverb, I have the PRRI to cover those bases...

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FWIW, the spring reverb in the AC15cc1 is rather "meh" too. I don't know about the current AC15c1's reverb. The trem isn't bad on my cc1 though, although it's not as sweet as the one in my '71 Princeton.

 

And yes, you DID get a good price on that Night Train! :cool2:

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Your budget will have a lot to with what you can get obviously.

 

FWIW I'm with you on the Fender/Vox strong points. I feel I have the best of both worlds with my combos (both purchased new- Fender PRRI~$850, Vox NT15 ~$350). Both good at lower volume levels, but can hold up in a band setting (I usually mic at least the Princeton though depending on where). I've played events with them both together and they do get along nice with each other.

 

image_zpsxr7iugqs.jpeg

 

That's very similar to what I typically run... I have a AC15cc1 with a Weber Blue Dog AlNiCo in it. I have a couple of different Princetons though - a '71 Princeton Amp and a '83 Princeton Reverb II. For live, I tend to use the II since it's bigger and badder (with a EVM 12" speaker and 20W RMS), but it's a toss-up when recording - I'm just as likely to use the Princeton Amp for that, or run the two Princetons in stereo.

 

Another pairing I like is my Marshall Class 5 and the AC15. Great combo crunch tones can be had there.

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I gig regularly with a SF Princeton Reverb (with Jensen P10R) and a little help from the PA and monitors. I have done a few gigs with a 6watt SF Champ.

 

I played a couple of sets this past weekend with a 20watt Subway Blues running at half power. The amp is very noisy however which makes it unsuitable for recording or home practice.

 

The SF Fenders are great because, unlike some of the modern Fender amps, they have a low noise floor -which is one of the reasons I recommend them in this case.

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I gig regularly with a SF Princeton Reverb (with Jensen P10R) and a little help from the PA and monitors. I have done a few gigs with a 6watt SF Champ.

 

I played a couple of sets this past weekend with a 20watt Subway Blues running at half power. The amp is very noisy however which makes it unsuitable for recording or home practice.

 

The SF Fenders are great because, unlike some of the modern Fender amps, they have a low noise floor -which is one of the reasons I recommend them in this case.

 

 

I actually put a DC heater mod into my PRII. It cost me a watt or so of power, but that amp's scary-quiet now. :)

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I actually put a DC heater mod into my PRII. It cost me a watt or so of power' date=' but that amp's scary-quiet now. :)[/quote']

 

Do you simply rectify and filter the 6.3 VAC of the power transformer or is there more to it than that?

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I gig regularly with a SF Princeton Reverb (with Jensen P10R) and a little help from the PA and monitors. I have done a few gigs with a 6watt SF Champ.

 

I played a couple of sets this past weekend with a 20watt Subway Blues running at half power. The amp is very noisy however which makes it unsuitable for recording or home practice.

 

The SF Fenders are great because, unlike some of the modern Fender amps, they have a low noise floor -which is one of the reasons I recommend them in this case.

 

May have to try one of those... have not played through a silver face in forever.

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