I need help choosing an amp

[shood]

I'm looking for a nice tube amp that can walk the fine line between (1) having sufficiently low wattage to achieve good power tube distortion in home recording situations (at modest volume) and (2) being capable of sufficient volume to play a role in live situations (e.g. a nice rythm crunch when driven hard to complement my other amp's clean and lead tones). I am really interested in a Mesa Boogie Blue Angel which is capable of 15, 33, and 38 watt output, but they are on the verge of being discontinued and are very hard to find right now. I would consider a used one, but I would want it to be local so that I could try it out. I realize that another solution is to get a power attenuator, but I will resort to that only if I can't find an amp that will work.

 

Any suggestions on other amps that might fit my needs? Thanks

 

-Sean

[J J]

Welcome to the forums my friend

 

I dont know much of tube amps (although i have one) but i really like mine. I have a 212 Fender Deville and its good for at home and gigs. Real nice sounds comming from this puppy. It costs around 700$ though (i got mine from my music teacher for 500$!)

 

i dont know if this is much help but this is what I know

[Guitarzan]

welcome to the forum. here are a few

THD univalve

fender pro junior

traynor YCV20

[Sound_Pursuit]

I'm considering the same type of amp. See if you can find one of these: Traynor

 

They sell for about US$550.

[shood]

Thanks, folks!!!

 

Wow, the Traynor sounds cool (I read some reviews after your messages).

 

I think no matter what anyone says I'm going to long for a Blue Angel because I don't think any other amp can be both 15 watts as well 33 and 38 watts. Progressive linkage is patented, obviously. But I don't understand why (with the Road King) Mesa has started moving towards giving us the choice between high wattage EL34 or high wattage 6L6. I think that where the real versatilty lies is offering low , mid, and high wattage progressive linkage - say 1, 2 or 4 EL84s (for roughly 4, 15 or 30 watts) and/or 1, 2, or 4 EL34s. Something along this line would give you optimal recording wattage, optimal practice wattage, and optimal (small and large) gigging wattage. Oh well, I'm sure this will be Mesa's first project after I buy my next amp.

 

Thanks for the help

[Blue Strat]

Ampeg Jet II

Fender Pro Jr.

Fender Blues Jr.

Silvertone 1482

Fender 5E3 Deluxe

Fender Princeton

[NickL]

I have a Hot Rod Deville 2 x 12 and I wouldn't recommend it for the home unless you have some pretty cool neighbors. It's a loud amp. One solution I found though was to invest in some Ruby Tubes Adaptors or Yellow Jackets which allow you to switch from 6L6 tubes to EL84's without rebiasing. It drops the power about 60% and converts the amp to Class A without losing much tone.

 

The other option is to invest in a Blues Jr. which runs at 15W. Great amp with excellent overdrive and reverb.

 

The Peavey Classic 30 is a nice amp and affordable too.

[alguit]

Hi,

 

Some of the other forum members mentioned some great suggestions. I have twice owned the same Mesa-Boogie Blue Angel 1x12 combo and twice have sold it for the same reason: it's too loud to use at home and too loud for many of the clubs I play! And that's at the 15-watt setting.

 

It's got gigantic transformers, whic translates into lots of headroom. When cranked, it is a stunning amp, very sweet and bluesy. But I got tired of soundmen telling me to turn down, so I sold it to a friend who likes it mainly for its clean sound.

 

If you're willing to spend a little, check out the Budda Superdrive 30. 30 watts is a great wattage-typically, amps in this range sound pretty good at home/recording levels, and they're usually more than loud enough for the average gig. I use a Bad Cat Hot Cat in such a way, and I love it. Yes, at gig levels the tone is superior to bedroom levels, but the low-level tones are better than most amps I've heard.

 

Good luck with your amp hunting.