Members Woody_in_MN Posted October 2, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 2, 2009 BTW - I thought this was the clearest explanation of what an attenuator does. It is a blurb from the Dr Z sight on their "Air Brake" product: "The all new Z Air Brake: The Z Air Brake has two major applications. One is for stage use, the other is for studio or home use. For stage use, the Z Air Brake is a useful tool to limit your overall dB level at any time during a performance. Example: the beginning of the night (when the club isn't full) click the Air Brake to a level of attenuation to allow for smooth tone at a lower volume level. As the night progresses, reach back and remove degrees of attenuation until the desired level is reached. This will allow you to manage your amp's overall volume without varying from your amp's favorite settings. At home, the Air Brake is useful for lower volume while still allowing for full output tube distortion. The Air Brake has a "bedroom" level control that, when selected, will allow for fine adjustment and maximum attenuation down to 1 watt (with amps less than 100 watts.) " - w Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Meowy Posted October 2, 2009 Members Share Posted October 2, 2009 Follow up question on the SCXD:I see there is a way to plug in an external speaker cab, but is there (out of the box) a way to run both the built-in speaker, and (say) a external cab with a couple of 10"s, or 12's" ? Or would that require some re-wiring, or a seperate box of some sort? - W Not out of the box. The internal speaker plugs into the chassis. To use an external you unplug the internal and plug in your cab. But since it's a plug-in it's a 2 second swap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Woody_in_MN Posted October 2, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 2, 2009 Not out of the box. The internal speaker plugs into the chassis. To use an external you unplug the internal and plug in your cab. But since it's a plug-in it's a 2 second swap Yeah - that is what it looked like. Thanks, - W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Will Chen Posted October 2, 2009 Members Share Posted October 2, 2009 Another area I was surprised with. "15 w? Through a 10" speaker? And in that little cab? Will I need to have my ear right up against it to hear anything?"Damn right you'll be able to hear something! I was pleasantly surprised at the power that it has. Unless you're standing between Keith Moon and John Entwhistle, then yeah, it's enough for band practice or a coffee shop gig... I gotta challenge this. If you're playing in a quiet setting with a drummer using brushes or an electronic kit then you might be able to get by. But with a traditional rock drummer you're going to have to mic it up. Additionally, the amp had a significant amount of tube and chassis rattle when cranked which made it useless at max volumes in my opinion. You can read my whole review of the amp here. Don't get me wrong, it's a good sounding amp if you're into Fender clean and slightly broken up tones but isn't really up to snuff as a gigging amp. To the OP. The Classic 30 is one of my favorite amps and the only thing I've heard which really compares to it at bedroom volumes is Peavey's Revalver MKIII. The Vypyr gets pretty darn close as well. However, I've been dieing to get my hands on a Bugera V22... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Meowy Posted October 2, 2009 Members Share Posted October 2, 2009 I gotta challenge this. If you're playing in a quiet setting with a drummer using brushes or an electronic kit then you might be able to get by. But with a traditional rock drummer you're going to have to mic it up. Additionally, the amp had a significant amount of tube and chassis rattle when cranked which made it useless at max volumes in my opinion. You can read my whole review of the amp here. Don't get me wrong, it's a good sounding amp if you're into Fender clean and slightly broken up tones but isn't really up to snuff as a gigging amp.To the OP. The Classic 30 is one of my favorite amps and the only thing I've heard which really compares to it at bedroom volumes is Peavey's Revalver MKIII. The Vypyr gets pretty darn close as well. However, I've been dieing to get my hands on a Bugera V22... I think the truth is somewhere between "Damn right" and "drummer using brushes" Put a drive pedal in front of it and it screams. I use a Tech 21 British Voice pedal (Marshall in a box) with the level control at 9:00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Orange Jackson Posted October 2, 2009 Members Share Posted October 2, 2009 I've used my scxd several times at rehearsal, and as I mentioned above, it is not where that amp shines. If you are playing with just a drummer or jazz, yes it will be fine. You will have to ask everyone to keep it down tough, which i would hate to do. If you are in a full band setting, drums, 2 electric guitars, and a bass, then the Super champ XD is not going to cut it. There is no debate about it in my mind, been there done that. You simply can not hang with 50w tube amp using a 15 watt tube amp, and most guys you jam with have at least 30 to 50 watts. If you are playing chilled out music, ok, it will cut it, but any kind of rock or heavy blues, no way unless you mic it. I'm not trying to argumentative here, I'm just trying to give you a heads up Woody. But you said you have a Peavey 75, maybe you can drive the 75 with SCXD if need be, though that is more to haul. Please don't get me wrong, I think the SCXD is nice, really good for home use, for recording, and if you have a mic on it, which would be very easy to do at a gig. But if you are rehearsing and jamming with buddies that have anything close to pro gear, then the SCXD is not the amp for the job, plain and simple. I wish it were not the case, as it would be perfect if it could fit that bill too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bsman Posted October 2, 2009 Members Share Posted October 2, 2009 Hey woody: Vox AC4TV in the spam thread... :poke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChineseKnockoff Posted October 2, 2009 Members Share Posted October 2, 2009 I gotta challenge this. If you're playing in a quiet setting with a drummer using brushes or an electronic kit then you might be able to get by. But with a traditional rock drummer you're going to have to mic it up. Additionally, the amp had a significant amount of tube and chassis rattle when cranked which made it useless at max volumes in my opinion. You can read my whole review of the amp here. Don't get me wrong, it's a good sounding amp if you're into Fender clean and slightly broken up tones but isn't really up to snuff as a gigging amp. Tell ya what then - I'll try it again when I get home tonight and follow up. I don't want to mislead anybody. If the thing starts rattling I'll let you know. So far I've only played it at home, usually only at comfortable practice levels, so that's been my main experience w/ it, but i have let 'er rip once or twice. Check back in 6 hours and I'll let you know what I hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Silverburst LP Posted October 2, 2009 Members Share Posted October 2, 2009 Can't go wrong with any Fender tube amp, really. The Super Champ XD is small, and pretty loud. 15 tube watts is damn loud, and if you run it out into a cab, you can play with drums easily. The Vox AC4 and Epi Valve Jr. are also good options in the lightweight, lower wattages. Higher up, I think you can pick up an Epi Blues Custom 30 watter for less than 5 bills. But it's got 2 10's... maybe more than what you're looking for. I promise you this: whatever you choose, you will fall in love with tube tone instantly and probably never look back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ccasey Posted October 2, 2009 Members Share Posted October 2, 2009 Or the new Vox AC4TV combo or head. This has a built-in attenuator that allows you to select either four or one watt output... This. I'm very close to pulling the trigger on the combo with the 10" speaker. Haven't plugged in to one myself, but the clips I've heard on youtube sound fantastic, and people are raving about them. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Goofball Jones Posted October 2, 2009 Members Share Posted October 2, 2009 Did you think of an Orange Tiny Terror combo amp? That's around your price range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hecticone Posted October 2, 2009 Members Share Posted October 2, 2009 I have had to use mine twice for a back up at a full gig. Running the line out to the pa not a problem at all. But if you didn't have that capability it would come up a little short.You can gig with em buts its miced,direct or leave it at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChineseKnockoff Posted October 2, 2009 Members Share Posted October 2, 2009 Higher up, I think you can pick up an Epi Blues Custom 30 watter for less than 5 bills. But it's got 2 10's... maybe more than what you're looking for. This is one amp that was on my list that Woody isn't considering. Great specs for the price. But - the Epi Custom 30 seems a little like Bigfoot sometimes. You can read about it on the interwebs, and see pictures of it, and every so often you even come across somebody who says they have one. But if you actually go looking for one, you never can never see it in person. I guess I could have ordered one, but it felt kinda cheesy having somebody ship me one just to demo it. I was also a bit excited about the Valve Sr., but I think that's already been released twice and keeps getting pulled back, which made me a bit nervous. I'm going to wait a bit on that one and see how they work for a few folks before I jump into that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Woody_in_MN Posted October 2, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 2, 2009 I gotta challenge this. If you're playing in a quiet setting with a drummer using brushes or an electronic kit then you might be able to get by. But with a traditional rock drummer you're going to have to mic it up. Additionally, the amp had a significant amount of tube and chassis rattle when cranked which made it useless at max volumes in my opinion. You can read my whole review of the amp here. Don't get me wrong, it's a good sounding amp if you're into Fender clean and slightly broken up tones but isn't really up to snuff as a gigging amp.To the OP. The Classic 30 is one of my favorite amps and the only thing I've heard which really compares to it at bedroom volumes is Peavey's Revalver MKIII. The Vypyr gets pretty darn close as well. However, I've been dieing to get my hands on a Bugera V22... Will, I appreciate your post. The Peavey C30 combo weighs about what my Bandit 75 does. If the weight was not an issue, I would just tote my Bandit. I am really looking for something between my Vypyr and Bandit in size & weight. If I forgot about the idea of a tube amp, I could buy a 2nd Vypyr 15 and use a ABY box to split my signal to both. I bet with TWO Vypyr 15's I could do a rehersal setup. I have not totaly ruled this out. But, I thought this may be a oppurtunity to get my feet wet in tube amps, and fill a need at the same time. The Vox Valvetronics 30 is making more sense to me at this point. BTW - I'm under the weather and probably will not get out to GC until Saturday. - W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Woody_in_MN Posted October 2, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 2, 2009 Hey woody: Vox AC4TV in the spam thread... :poke: Thanks. But I really think that is going to be too small for my needs. __________________________________________________ Maybe it would help to talk about what styles I play. I enjoy a clean tone, but am drawn to hard rock, fusion, and almost metal. (I mean I like a high gain sound, but probably stop short of what would be called "Metal".) I might play some jazz, but no C&W. (Neil Young/Buffalo Springsteen is about as close to Country I get.) Hope this helps. - w Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jrockbridge Posted October 3, 2009 Members Share Posted October 3, 2009 My Dr Z Airbrake is the most transparent attenuator I've ever owned. However, once the Airbrake is switched into "bedroom" mode, it sounds like the tone suffers....which could be partly a "Fletcher Munson" effect. Even in bedroom mode, the Airbrake sounds more transparent than my Weber Mini Mass. I like the price of the Weber much better though! There's another solution to bedroom volume which is called "power scaling" by London Power. I think some other amp companies are using similar technology, but calling it something different. Unfortunately, I doubt this technology is available at a budget price. Let's hope that changes in the future. http://www.londonpower.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members docjeffrey Posted October 3, 2009 Members Share Posted October 3, 2009 After reading your responses to the various suggestions, I've come to a conclusion. The perfect amp for you would be a Fender Blackface Deluxe. They only weigh about 30 pounds, have enough output for most gigs, do cleans incredibly well, and they love pedals. The tone is pure Fender tube, through and through. Unfortunately, they are close to $1000 at the moment. I think I'd be looking for a cheaper clone--maybe a kit--that has the same circuit board design running the same tubes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChineseKnockoff Posted October 3, 2009 Members Share Posted October 3, 2009 Doc, You've got enough gear at your place to outfit half the guys here in pretty good style, so I think you ought to hook Woody up w/ something nice. You probably wouldn't even miss it. Edit: (Oh, and yeah - a BF Deluxe would be perfect. You'll have that for the rest of your life.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wrathfuldeity Posted October 3, 2009 Members Share Posted October 3, 2009 My solution involves 3 items. First, an old 50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve_man Posted October 3, 2009 Members Share Posted October 3, 2009 Yup, sounds like you're on the right track...just go try out a few of them and find one that "speaks" to you. Hope you feel better man... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members docjeffrey Posted October 3, 2009 Members Share Posted October 3, 2009 Doc, You've got enough gear at your place to outfit half the guys here in pretty good style, so I think you ought to hook Woody up w/ something nice. You probably wouldn't even miss it.Edit: (Oh, and yeah - a BF Deluxe would be perfect. You'll have that for the rest of your life.) Believe it or not, the one amp that I am missing is the Blackface. I have an SF Champ and a HR Deluxe, but no Blackface. I read an article in Guitar Player by Gerald Weber about how to get close to BF cleans on a Tweed Deluxe RI. I tried it. It works. Guitar in instrument 1 input. Mic channel on 12, instrument channel on 6, tone on 10. Tweek the tone and mic volume to taste. I tried a similar technique on my Marshall 18 watter (the volumes are interactive) to scoop the mids. I've been doing it for a couple of years, but I never thought to try it on my Tweed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jrockbridge Posted October 3, 2009 Members Share Posted October 3, 2009 A tube head and a small 112 cabinet could be REALLY easy to carry around to gigs. Combo amps become a bit awkward to carry sometimes because there's so much weight in one box and the weight is not evenly balanced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Woody_in_MN Posted October 3, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 3, 2009 ^^^ That is true. That might be another direction to go.____________________________________________ I was thinking some more about this last night. I had mentioned using a ABY box with 2 Vypyrs. I think I could do the same thing with my Vypyr 15 & a SCXD, or a Vypyr 15 & Valvetronics 30 (I think). It might even add some depth to the sound. Any problems in doing this? Use ABY box between (say) Vypyr 15 & SCXD (or Valvetronics 30)? - w Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members prolog Posted October 3, 2009 Members Share Posted October 3, 2009 So I thought about the Classic 30. That may be a possibility, but I hear it does not get nice gain until you are over 5 on the volume dial. Valveking 1x12 might be another option. That's true on the clean channel. But you can get nice gain on the lead channel at low volumes. That's what I usually do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members czarny Posted October 3, 2009 Members Share Posted October 3, 2009 I would recommend checking out a Mesa Studio .22+. 22 watt combo amp with reverb, fx loop, onboard 5 band eq (not all of them have this, but many do), etc. 12" speaker. Not too heavy. Sounds great at low volumes and can get loud (more than enough to play out solo or with a group). Clean channel is great and the dirty channel ranges from great overdriven tones to borderline metal. Built like a tank. They are great little amps and can usually be had for about $400, sometimes $450-$500 if in great condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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