OT: Downsizing Amp.

[IRG]

The AC4 was a pleasant surprise. When i was shopping for a low-wattage combo to make the acoustic gigs i was doing easier to move around, i had little faith in the The AC4 was not only loud enough to be deemed 'too loud for the mix' at times, but the tone was juicy and the clipping when cranked was very sweet sounding - could cop Hendrixy pushed tones (Wind Cries Mary, Hey Joe) and the given Vox chime. Obviously the voicing is more british than Fendery. I liked the amp more after i changed the preamp tube to a lower-gain Telefunken 12AT7. The stock 12AX7 gave a small amount of harsh overtones, but it was mellowed out and sweetened once the gain was dropped. I am waiting for V2 of the Class 5 to come out, as my favorite wattage on the AC4 was at the 1w setting. It gave it enough volume to be audible, and sounded cranked sooner. I hear the Class 5 without a wattage select can be a tad too loud for some of the uses these small amps were designed for. The Class 5 looks great though - great cabinet construction and build, where as the AC4 could seem like a little inferior construction wise. All in all, the AC4 is a lot of amp for the price. Takes pedals very well, and brings out the good in every guitar's personality. Very much a rock amp in the way that it feedsback and makes your axe really sing when played right.

 

 

 

Hmmm, I guess the one I played could have really benefitted from a tube swap then, good to know. Although I would be more inclined to get the Lil Nightrain over the AC4 personally. I love having separate gain and volume controls, plus bass and treble.

 

That said, the Fender Mustang just has such a sweet sound. Don't even use the effects, take an amp model (bassman, Deluxe, Tweed, etc.) and then use the front panel knobs just like a regular amp, adjust the 3 way eq, vol and gain, and your off. Or add a bit of reverb and delay if you want. Maybe some modulation. Perfect for home use where the majority of tube amps just can't meet their potential most of the time.

 

Fortunately, having these smaller wattage amps is great for those that still want a tube amp for home use, and the occasional gig. The AC4, Lil Nightrain, Blackstar HT1 and the upcoming Class 5 mkII are all viable alternatives, but the SS amps offer a lot more versatility, and even better tone these days, that they simply can't be ignored.

 

Once I get some of my new pedals in this weekend, I'm going to have a shootout between my AC15 and my Mustang III and see what happens. I plan also to use the Stang run fairly clean, and in stereo with the AC15, should be a great match.

[Dr.Picklebottom]

all these suggestions, some of them Agreed length babble{censored}s, and noone knows what kind of sound hes looking for. totally tarded.

id suggest a passive volume control in the loop. ~$15

[stent]

Blackheart little giant combo is in your price range ($350?). 12 inch eminence speaker, 5w/3w switch, bass, mid, treble and volume control and, I'm told, stock JJ tubes. I went to try a vox ac4 combo and the blackheart blew it away (possibly to do with the vox having a smaller speaker).

I love mine. Great cleans at apartment volumes, gets a little bit of breakup just as it gets to "thats loud enough" and overdrives really well if you can turn it up louder than that. just ignore the heart tattoo plastic badge on the front.

[IRG]

all these suggestions, some of them Agreed length babble{censored}s, and noone knows what kind of sound hes looking for. totally tarded. id suggest a passive volume control in the loop. ~$15

 

 

Which is the beauty of the Mustang (or a Vox Valvetronix) - you can get just about any sound you want.

 

And I've tried the passive volume control in my Blues Deluxe, it works, but you're still limited to an extent. But it is the cheapest option by far.

[timmay8612]

Attenuator for the HRD?

[macadood]

If a HDR is going to be too loud for an apartment, so is a Blues Jr. My old neighbors can attest to that.

yea, it gets pretty loud, but it sounds pretty decent still at relatively low volumes.

if you has the moneys this looks {censored}ing sweet:

[eerock]

I didn't like the AC4 at all. It always sounded ear piercing and boxy no matter what the settings were. I had proper tubes in it (JJ) but still no cigar. I liked the Pathfinder series a lot more. Bought the tiniest model to my gf and she likes it also.

I'd also suggest to get a volume box (single potentiometer in a box) and try to tame the HRD with that. That is the cheapest and easiest solution to begin with.