Hi there,

My covers band has just scored a residency in a restaraunt playing 2 or 3 times a week. So...I can justify looking for a small combo that will be easier to lug and more appropriate for smaller gigs than my boogie rig.

We play jazz, soul stuff, pop, disco, rock and newer stuff. I'd also want to use it for some free impro/looping stuff i do, too.

Any ideas?

For this amp, I don't care if it's tube, digital or SS, new or second hand....but I'd like an fx loop and a twelve inch speaker. I'll use pedals and stuff so it doesn't need 300 channels. Just one good one would be fine!

I'll probably spend up to $400 US.

Cheers!

Line 6 Spyder IV 75

Oughtta cover the bases for $300. Not the greatest Tube Sound, but OK - very versatile, includes FX, wah, etc. Of course, you'll want the pedal board (FBV) to control it, which will run you another $100-$200 depending on which one you get.

How 'bout looking for a used Carvin "Vintage 33" (33 watts) or "Nomad" (50 watts) 1x12" tube-combo? (Note: "Vintage 33" is a model name from a 1990s line, not an old, "vintage" amp from the 1930s.)

The Nomad can still be ordered brand-new, too, with a great return policy if you decide you don't like the amp as much as you'd hoped; although the Vintage 33 was discontinued, even though it would be my choice between these two... ??

Solo? Blusier, more aggressive passages? Simply bring up your guitars volume-knob to taste, and dig-in. Maybe reserve the foot-switchable reverb for just such moments, as well.

Effects-loop? Nomad- yes. Vintage 33- maybe- double-check when considering a given used one, as some earlier models might not have included an effects-loop; mine does, though.

Their 1st/"Clean"/"rhythm" Channels are sparkly bright clean, and their reverb is pretty nice, too- and if you switch off the reverb, it turns off the input to the reverb, leaving the decaying reverberations of the last bit you played through it to fade out behind any of your "dry" playing, instead of abruptly having its "tail" cut -off.

But, the REAL gold in these amps is in the way their 2nd/"Soak"/"lead" channels have a GREAT rich warm, dark, woody, throaty sound for CLEAN jazzy passages- especially fingerstyle- IF you roll back your guitars volume-knob while the Master Volume of the amp is up most or all of the way, and the "Soak"/pre-gain is anywhere from 2 to 5, depending on your pickups and your "touch".

I've used my Carvin Vintage 33 just like that for some small casual/restaurant jazzy-bluesy-whatever type things, and using its "Soak"/"lead" Channel that way was just the thing; I used it that way for everything 100% of the time, never even turning on its "Clean" Channel at all. I gained a whole new appreciation of this amp that way!

If you try one, set its EQ controls with your ears, not your eyes- the tones that work for you and your guitar will likely result in control-settings that will look odd compared to what you're probably used to seeing on most other amps.

If you have the room for your "boogie" rig and are just looking at a smaller amp, how about getting a power attenuator (sp?) for your current rig?

You'll have all the familiar setup and sounds of your current rig and be able to play them at a reasonable decibel level (which, I assume, that's what you're looking for) LOL

Then again, buying a new amp is sooo much more fun!!

Let us know what you get and how it turns out...

If you can find a used Reverend Goblin, that might suit you. It is only 1x10, but it has a raft of controls on the front and an instruction sheet as to how to set those controls to emulate various vintage tube amps. Pretty sweet. It listed for $525 when new, so ....


Bill

A used Peavey Classic 30 would suit your needs as well. The Line 6 Spidervalve is another great choice. If ya can spend a bit more, Dr. Z or Tungsten all the way!

Get a Peavey Studio Pro 40. You can pick one up for less than $200 when you can find them. Keep some contact cleaner for the pots, and they are nearly bullet proof. Change out the stock speaker for something like a darker sounding Celestion or Eminence, and it sounds amazingly good for what it is.

Thanks for the Carvin info/review Caevan, eyeballing the 112 Nomad as it's at least 15 lbs lighter (ie. 40 lbs) than my Hot Rod Deville, puts out 50 watts and priced at $549 (which is a little more than the $400 that Harvey wants to spend)....but will be trying one out next time I hit the Carvin shop in Sacramento...

Now, I honestly think that despite what one would expect, when used the way I described above, the Carvin Vintage 33 and Nomad are better for Jazz and Jazz-y sounds than for rock and blues; but that isn't quite so odd when you realize that Allan Holdsworth was involved in the development of that lines "Soak" channel circuitry and sounds.

I had a love-hate relationship with the Vintage 33, it never seemed quite right for rock, metal, and blues-rock tones, at least not to my ears- it doesn't cop the tones of other amps very well, which is what most of us are trying to do a lot of the time; it has its own sort of personality, particularly on its "Soak"/overdrive/lead channel.

But when you ignore its clean channel- which many people love, by the way!- and go straight to its "Soak" channel and set it up for a medium-gain overdrive, set louder than you intend to play, and then control it from the guitars volume-knob, it REALLY comes into its own for clean and clean-ish tones that are big 'n' FAT, and sooo nice for fingerstyle Jazziness and the like. More like a cranked old '50s Gibson or Gretsch amp then than a Fender.

$300 is a tight budget and one question I haven't seen asked...

Are you going into a PA system or not? If not, you'll need some kind of power to be heard over the drummer (i.e. more money :))

I would probably look at a "clean" only type amp, Fender Blues Jr for example and then add your existing (if you have one) pedal board. The Jr is 15 watts so that might not be enough. A Fender Hot Rod Deluxe is 40 watts, but it's $700 new

What kind of music do you play? Nevermind... you mentioned it... I play in cover bands that do that kind of stuff and I just use the classic tube amps...

I see used newer VOX AC 15 Custom Classics going for $400 or a little over all the time, and that's a GREAT amp, not a compromise at all... and loud enough for gigs and bands.

The Ampeg J20 Jet is 20 watts, handwired (!) and seems to go new buy it now on eBay for between $399 and $499.

Deluxe Reverbs are AWESOME... but seem to have gotten pricey, any vintage, lately (perfect size, wattage and tone for these times...).

Fender Princetons are louder than you'd imagine, but pricey these days, too.

Those 50 watt Crate V50 1x12s turn up in clearance sales for $150 from the big box music stores, but you might have to deal with getting it fixed under warranty or replaced... everyone I know who got one has had to deal with that (but Crate has done them right in every instance).

I love my old Roland 60w Cube Chorus. Just reverb and chorus. No modeling fx. 1x12, small, SS, light weight and extremely loud if need be. The gain channel is ok as well. It's grey in colour.

I like it so much I just picked up another used one for $300. So maybe it's the spaced out equivalent to a Roland 120 Jazz Chorus?

I also have the orange Cube 60 with out chorus.

They are perfect for the small to larger gigs. Especially when I don't want to pack my Marshalls around.

Y'know, the Roland Blues Cube amps are pretty damn nice SS amps, too! They have a warm and very "tubey" feel and sound, punchy with a tight bottom-end.

Another vote for the Spider IV. Since Line6 has upgraded the effects on these amps and improved their responsiveness in the "on the edge of break-up" category they are an excellent choice if you are concerend about price & portability.

FYI - I personally never cared too much for the Spider line until the most current series.

Hey everyone...thanks for all the thoughtful thoughts!

To reply to some of the ideas:

1/ Portability is an issue because a/ the gig is in the Sydney CBD (nowhere to park) and through the narrow kitchen and b/ the 'stage' is way small! Although I liked rootsonians idea for a power attenuator. Maybe an attenuator and a 1 x 12 box?

2/ So far it's tricky to find second hand Carvins or Reverend stuff (or similar cool small tube amps) at all down here let alone in my budget. I love the AC15 CC's but here they are closer to $600-700. Don't know why...I'm probably closer to the Chinese factory than our U.S. members!

3/ For our first gig I borrowed a line 6 spider II - 30. Super easy to lug and four channels so I left the pedals at hm too. It sounded good for some stuff but as mudcat said the "on the edge of break-up" tone on this earlier model wasn't great. Even the clean tone quacked a bit when I dug in. Used the same amp the next night at another small wedding reception and had a bit better response after some tweaking. Will check out the series IV when I can (they're taking a while to get broadly distributed here).

Stay tuned...I'm in no big hurry just yet so will take my time...

cheers!

Hmmmmnn... are you working with a PA, even a small one? If so, would a digital-modeler in a small, pedal or desk-top form possibly work for you, if you connected it to the PA? Could work well with your pedals, and instead of an effects-loop, you'd just put anything that you'd want in a 'loop in-between the modeler and PA. And if your PA is stereo, stereo effects will translate better in a small setting like this one, than in larger ones...

I put a bunch of primo pedals in front of my DigiTech GNX4, and it works great! I also have put stereo pedals and processors after it, like a Leslie/rotary simulator and a Lexicon Vortex multi-effects unit, and that also works very well.
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Now, I see that Fender has a presence in Australia, by one means or another; would a used Deluxe Reverb Reissue be too hard to scare up? Or, a used Blues Deluxe or Hot Rod Deluxe? (These last two are very- make that completely- different from the classic Deluxe Reverb, sharing the names "Fender" and "Deluxe" only.)

I'd think that a "blackface" style DR would suit you quite well here; CLASSIC sound, excellent tube-driven spring-reverb, 1x12, nice power range for your application, and they tend to take pedals very nicely; -although- they don't come with an effects-loop. I'm not sure if you can find one there, even a used reissue, for your stated budget, though. Maybe, with some luck!

The Blues Deluxe and Hot Rod Deluxe have good sound, a good SS-driven spring-reverb, 1x12, AND an effects-loop; they're also more powerful and have many more features, but that brings greater weight and size with it.

Hmmn, would this 'page be of any help?

Always liked the feel and projection of tube amps better plus I have a 67 silverface twin that's way too heavy so got a Roland Cube 60. When using the built in effects I can barely tell the difference (tubes or not) plus it weighs nothing and puts out like crazy. Would rather use a tube amp but those transformers are what causes the pounds to add up.

Tubes rule!!! but the weight is for the birds...my Hot Rod DeVille weighs in at 55 lbs...but thats not bad for 60 watts out the door with 4 10's and some really clean Fender sound (with a touch of spring reverb)...still, wouldn't mind shaving off 10 to 15 lbs if I can find another amp that sounds as good and I could get by with 30 to 40 watts....

over your price mark, but the Spider Valve MKII is pretty good. I tried one this weekend plugged into a 4x12 cabinet and it was really good!

This might not be enough power but the just arrived Epiphone Valve Senior combo might be worth a look. 18 watts, spring reverb, 12" Lady Luck speaker.
All tube. They are only at Musicians Friend and Sweetwater at the moment. (You can find one demonstration on You Tube - sounds pretty nice.) And it comes in at your price point - $369.00

Wow...

excuse my ignorance, but I never consider that the rest of the planet isn't flooded with the same gear that we have here these days...

BTW I'm a huge Finn Bros./Crowded House/Split Enz, Swingers, Go-Betweens, You Am I, Hoodoo Gurus and Easybeats fan (I know the first 3 are New Zealand-transplants...).

Now, don't laugh... It is getting heaps of praise from even the cork sniffers at The Gear Page and it is deserved... The Bugera V22. Three 12AX7s and two EL84s. Switchable between triode and pentode modes. Two channel. Effects loop. Footswitch. Bright and normal inputs. Mid-boost switch. Excellent reverb. It is a bit heavy though at 42lbs, but the price is in the $320 range. Try one out before you blast it for being made by Behringer... They are really making an effort to up their quality. This one is a home-run...

Fender has a new Deluxe VM that looks intersting...$799new...a little over budget but worth checking out...