your recommendations for small tube combo w/reverb (channel switching optional)

[tele9001]

Hi folks....

 

I've been shopping/researching for a couple of weeks, and I'd like to hear some personal recommendations on the following.

 

I'm looking for a living-room amp.

Here are the attributes I'm looking for in said amp.

 

1. 50 watts or less - reduced power operation (i.e. half/quarter-wattage) would be great. Lower the better, probably.

2. Tube

3. I'd love 2x10s, but 1x12 would be fine.

4. A decent reverb

5. Channel switching would be great, but not necessary

6. This amp needs to have a great clean tone

7. This amp needs to have a good overdrive - capable of some tightness and growl. For example, the OD channels of a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe are NOT satisfactory - I found it to be mushy, indistinct, and not useful for much.

8. The amp should be able to get moderately juicy tones at low volumes (thus my request for possible wattage-reduction settings). For example, I tried a Mesa F30, and it's a nice amp. However, even at 30 watts, it's just a tad too powerful. The tones at living-room volumes are clanky and weak.

9. I'm not afraid to spend money here - this is an investment piece that I want to have for a long time.

10. Main guitar through this amp is a stock 1974 LP Custom.

11. Secondary guitar through amp is a 1998 tele w/a Duncan lil' 59er in the bridge.

 

My apologies for the long-windedness of this post, but I appreciate anyone who suffered enough to read the whole thing! Thanks, and I appreciate any opinions/info you'd care to share.

regards,

tele9001

[bluesswing]

Have you checked Peavey's Delta Blues? It is 30W and comes in 2x10 and 1x15 formats. 30W is actually far too much for home use. I have 15W Laney LC15 (single channel 1x10" open back) that is my main amp at club gigs (no miking). Their LC15R has speaker out jack. I constructed the jack myself and run the amp as head through 1x12" closed back cab.

[Vin-erator]

Originally posted by tele9001:

Thanks, and I appreciate any opinions/info you'd care to share.

regards,

tele9001

You should really check on the Gibson GA-15RV. It is a 1x12 reverb combo that pumps out 15 watts of class A tube power. It has a pentode/triode switch to reduce the wattage to 6 or 7 watts. At full power, it has more than enough head-room for your living room. At half power, you might be able to get it to break up at a more reasonable volume. The distortion on this amp is very big and chimey - think Vox AC30 tones, also a class A tube amp.

 

I use the GA-15 (no reverb or pentode/triode switch) as a rehearsal amp with a 2x12 extension cabinet. It has plenty of clean head room for rehearsal. I've also thought of using it at gigs. It's just easier to bring one of the combos I have with reverb on them.

[tele9001]

Originally posted by Vinny C:

You should really check on the Gibson GA-15RV.

Vinny,

Thanks for the reply. I've read about these amps. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions about it. Do you ever use the low-power settings on the amp? If so, how does the tone compare? What's bottom-end response like on the amp? I've looked in vain for dealers around here (New Hampshire). It's very difficult to find it in stock, and I've been unable to find sound samples on the web.

Thanks!

tele9001

[PBBPaul]

Good suggestion on the GA 15. My own living room amp is an old Ampeg ReverbeRocket. It has beautiful clean tones at lower volumes and breaks up nicely. The reverb is among the best sounding ever made IMHO. I would personally look around for an early 60's low wattage "off-brand" like Gibson, Epiphone (typically rebranded Gibsons and an excellent value), Supro or Ampeg (Not that these are off-brands, but it seems like any older amp other than Fender is off-brand). You can find them fairly reasonably and they tend to sound at least as good as the equivalent Fenders. Plus you get the added bonus of a conversation piece for the living room.

[Vin-erator]

Originally posted by tele9001:

Vinny,

Thanks for the reply. I've read about these amps. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions about it. Do you ever use the low-power settings on the amp? If so, how does the tone compare? What's bottom-end response like on the amp? I've looked in vain for dealers around here (New Hampshire). It's very difficult to find it in stock, and I've been unable to find sound samples on the web.

Thanks!

tele9001

The one I have is the basic GA-15 a 1x10 combo with no reverb and no lo-watt switch. So, I can't help you with the low-power setting. Bottom end is great, but better as you get louder. Funny thing about this amp, the single tone knob is actually two knobs in one: At dead-center-up, it's like the bass and treble are set at "5". As you turn the knob to one side, it rolls up treble and reduces bass. As you turn it to the other side, it rolls up bass and reduces treble. Mine has a bright switch that more than makes up for having the treble rolled off.

 

Isn't there a Guitar Center or a Daddy's Junky Music up there?

 

Good luck!

[tele9001]

Originally posted by Vinny C:

 

Isn't there a Guitar Center or a Daddy's Junky Music up there?

 

Vinny,

thanks for the info.

Yes, there's both, and I've visited both in the past three days. Neither one had the GA-15RV. GC had a couple of leftover GA-5s (little too basic), and Daddy's had nothin.

thx again!

tele9001

[Dylan]

This is what I use and I love it. The clean and dirty channels are much nicer than the HRD series from Fender. The reverb is very transparent and isn't washy at all.

 

http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/F-Series/F-30/F-30-Sm.gif

 

FEATURES:

Handbuilt in the USA

 

30 Watts of Patented Dyna-Watt Power / 2xEL84, 4x12AX7

 

2 Fully Independent Channels, 3 Footswitchable Sounds (Channel 1, 2 & 2 w/Contour)

 

Independent Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble, Reverb & Master Controls per Channel

 

Pull Bright (Channel 1) Contour Switch (Channel 2)

 

Long Tank Spring Reverb

 

Parallel FX Loop w/Mix Control

 

Record / Headphone Output

 

Silent Record Mute Switch

 

3 Button Footswitch (Channel 1/2, Reverb & Contour)

 

Slip Cover

[Philip OKeefe]

Maybe check out a VOX AC-15TB?

[tele9001]

just one bump....

[Teahead]

THD Uni-Valve?

[Vin-erator]

Originally posted by Teaheadless Horseman:

THD Uni-Valve?

This is a really good idea! Tele, didn't you say that money wasn't really a concern? Isn't the head about $700 and the matching 2x12 cab the same price?

[Philip OKeefe]

As a fairly new (and very satisfied) UniValve owner, I certainly would have suggested that... but there is no onboard reverb. But if you're looking for flexibility and great tone, you could do much worse than one of these babies.

[Vin-erator]

Originally posted by Philip O'Keefe:

As a fairly new (and very satisfied) UniValve owner, I certainly would have suggested that... but there is no onboard reverb. But if you're looking for flexibility and great tone, you could do much worse than one of these babies.

reverb schmeverb! I have an Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail reverb pedal. I paid $80 for it and it sounds better than some of the tanks in my combos. It also doesn't rattle when the fat guy walks by it.

[ridger]

I have the Traynor YCV20WR and have been very pleased. Go to "yorkville.com" for more information on the amps. Also, check out "harmony-central.com" for user reviews of amps. Good luck.

[tchipman]

Direct: $ 399.99

shipping: $ 29.99 qty.

 

 

VINTAGE16 - Vintage 16/5 watt triode amp

 

Carvin's Vintage 16 is the amp everyone has been asking for. This "all tube" amp features 16 watts from two EL84's and is switchable from its normal Pentode to "Triode" operation delivering 5 watts. There is nothing sweeter for recording! Great soak and tone is delivered from 3 12AX7 tubes. The Vintage 16 features Volume, Soak, bass, mid, treble and reverb (Accutronics tank). The efficient 100w GT12 speaker delivers a big sound from a small enclosure while delivering a clean classic guitar sound with perfect balance and clarity.

 

 

Here's an amp I've always been interested in but never heard live. I down loaded the demo and of course that sounded great. Anyone know about this little beauty?

[Bbach1]

Originally posted by Dylan PDX:

This is what I use and I love it. The clean and dirty channels are much nicer than the HRD series from Fender. The reverb is very transparent and isn't washy at all.

 

http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/F-Series/F-30/F-30-Sm.gif

 

FEATURES:

Handbuilt in the USA

 

30 Watts of Patented Dyna-Watt Power / 2xEL84, 4x12AX7

 

2 Fully Independent Channels, 3 Footswitchable Sounds (Channel 1, 2 & 2 w/Contour)

 

Independent Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble, Reverb & Master Controls per Channel

 

Pull Bright (Channel 1) Contour Switch (Channel 2)

 

Long Tank Spring Reverb

 

Parallel FX Loop w/Mix Control

 

Record / Headphone Output

 

Silent Record Mute Switch

 

3 Button Footswitch (Channel 1/2, Reverb & Contour)

 

Slip Cover

I've got a Mesa Nomad 55 and love it. You can pretty much dial it up clean or dirty. I love the 3 channel footswitch, and each channel has two settings each with seperate controls so you can actually have six different sounds set up and ready to go at the flip of a switch.

[tele9001]

Folks,

thanks so much for the replies. I've got a lot to think about. Actually, I had looked hard at the Univalve, and I don't dispute that it's awesome. However, I'm really after either channel switching and/or reverb, and while money isn't specifically an object, if I'm going to pay large dollars, I'd prefer to have some features.

Anyone out there tried the GT Soul-O 30 combo? It's got the features I'm after, but I can't find anyone who owns/plays as of yet.

thanks,

tele9001

[Bbach1]

Tele, what you actually need is the amp/speaker combo from "Back to the Future" that blew Michael Jay Fox across the room like a ragdoll.

[tele9001]

Originally posted by cwfno:

Tele, what you actually need is the amp/speaker combo from "Back to the Future" that blew Michael Jay Fox across the room like a ragdoll.

hahhahahaha....That would rule. And I thought my wife was peeved when I turned on the half-stack during Survivor...

have a nice day

tele9001

[synthetic]

Ha, that's what I do when my wife is watching all of her "chick shows." Gilmour Girls in the living room, AC/DC in the office.

 

I'm also looking into upgrading from a Fender, my Blues Jr. doesn't quite have the cranked overdrive I'm looking for. Can you use an A/B switch and plug into both inputs of the UniValve for dual channel? I seem to remember that this might not be possible.

[roy d]

tele9001,

I haven't played the Soul-O 30 but I have played Myle's Soul-O Single... I would seriously look at it if I were you. With an efficient speaker, and only running at about 6 watts, it was LOUD ... so much so that my ears hurt in his livingroom. And it sounded great! My daughter was with me and was amazed. Her then boy-friend was in a metal band and she joked that it would kill the marshall his lead player used. It has the same capability as the univalve of switching power tubes but it also has a foot-switchable gain boost for something that approximates channel switching. I think it would work both in the livingroom and at many gigs. It is a great amp.

roy

[tele9001]

Roy,

thanks for that info! I had a couple of questions:

 

1. What kind of guitar were you playing?

2. Were the sounds you liked clean or dirty?

 

The reason I mentioned the 30 is because it has reverb, etc. (See original post).

 

Thanks again,

tele