I need a small practice amp

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Jerry D

...Thanks, Steve, but this won't work for me. We have a "den" downstairs, which is where I keep the Super (wife!). What I'm wanting is a small amp to put in the living room upstairs. It has to be unobtrusive (wife!) so I plan on stacking it and my Fishman acoustic amp one on top of the other so that no more floor space is taken up in the living room (wife!)...I realize the Champion 40 is the outer limits in size for what I need. Might even need to go down to the 20.

I hear ya, brother - thankfully my wife's also been my on-off (mostly acoustic) performing partner for nearly 50 years, so it's not too great an issue around our digs when I fire up one of the big guns once a week or so...

Back to square one:

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

...since we're on the subject of small practice amps and we both know a little something about tone, I'd recommend digging up another $50 or so and scoring one of these:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/V5Infinium

Got built-in 'verb, got headphone/speaker outs, got a power attenuator so you can wail away without incurring the wrath of your better half, got automatic tube monitoring/self-bias (redundant in a class-A circuit IMO, but hey...), got the capability to fine-tune your tone by swapping different tube brands/types (loads of fun, BTW), and I've seen these on the floor at GC for $149 during holiday sales (um, it's Veterans' Day tomorrow...)

Speaking as the owner of a mildly-modded V22 combo (upgraded tubes, Eminence Swamp Thang speaker, mild tube rebias) that serves as my grab-&-go, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better amp of any kind for the money, period - I just might pick one up for myself one of these days, as a project platform/late-night amp...

[blue]

Originally Posted by Jerry D

Yeah, I realize the Champion 40 is the outer limits in size for what I need. Might even need to go down to the 20.

As long as you get 10 inches of speaker I'd personally be satisfied if you definitely are keeping it at home.

[Steel and wood]

Originally Posted by Jerry D

OK, thanks. Why are you not a Marshall fan, and which Roland Cube do you like, in this price/size range?

I love the Fender clean tones mainly and I have no interest in Marshall amps. (The only settings on my Mustang amp which I use are the three Fender settings in sometimes combination with some of the amp's built in effects).

[SprintBob]

Originally Posted by paulp1960

The Yamaha THR5 and 10 models are as quiet as a mouse for clean sounds imho. The twin 4" speakers don't make for much volume.

OP should not rule these out if he can check them out locally. If you are truly looking for a practice amp to go in the living room and be as non-obtrusive as possible, they are worth a look. I have both a THRA5 and THR10 as well as a Fender Mustang 3. For home playing, the THR10 is so easy and the tone is very impressive.

[LSemmens]

Why don't you just use the Fishman amp for practise? If need be, you can actually turn the volume DOWN, just to keep SWMBO happy.

[mechanic1908]

I can throw in to this topic with what a much more experienced player told me a long time ago.
" You can always add dirt but you can't add clean" That's the reason I'd go with one of the already mentioned Fenders or a Kustom 20 watt with a 12" speaker. The Kustom is what I use PH2012r I believe is the model #. Hth

Sent from my 6045I using Tapatalk

[Jerry D]

Originally Posted by LSemmens

Why don't you just use the Fishman amp for practise? If need be, you can actually turn the volume DOWN, just to keep SWMBO happy.

It's an acoustic amp. Looking for something more suitable to electric.

[Jerry D]

After much consideration, and taking into account advice I've received here (thanks, everybody), I've decided on this one (although I didn't buy it from Sweetwater - got a better deal elsewhere).

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Mustang1V2

Actually, no combo amp I looked at filled 100% of my wants/needs, but this one came closest to it.

[Saos]

As an owner of a champion 20 that I use to practice I can tell you it's an extremely good buy. It has tweed, blackface, British, and metal voicings with the options of tweed bassman, tweed deluxe, tweed champ, '65 twin amp, '65 deluxe, '65 Princeton, 60s 70s and 80s British, super sonic, 90s metal, and 2000 metal. Plus the effects options of reverb+ chorus, reverb hall, reverb spring, chorus fast sweep, chorus deep sweep, flange, delay slapback, delay long, delay+ reverb, wah, vibrato, and tremolo. It's $99 If you call musicians friend I think they have a veterans day sale going on and you can get it cheaper than that.

[Jerry D]

Originally Posted by Saos

It's $99 If you call musicians friend I think they have a veterans day sale going on and you can get it cheaper than that.

No, it's actually $119.99. They're offering a 10% off veterans' day discount, which would make it $108.00. I got it slightly cheaper than that with a 15%-off first-time-buyer discount somewhere else.

[Rudy4]

[QUOTE=Jerry D;5124158]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

If you're looking in the cabinet size/power range of the Champion 40 you're getting well outside what most people consider "small" or practice amps (FYI I practice as often as not with either the Super Reverb or a 100W/2x12" blackface Fender Frontman , so I'm clearly not one of them) - you might as well get a 15-30W tube combo: Fender Blues Junior, Vox AC15, Carvin Vintage 16, Egnater Tweaker/Rebel, Blackstar HT Studio 20, Peavey Classic 30. Bugera V22 (my personal fave grab-&-go combo, BTW) etc., and go for tone. Since the issue appears to be the speaker - and I'd think it's fair to say you like the tone of your Super - why not just pick up a low/mid-power tube head and use the Super's speakers as a 4X10" extension cab? Something like one of these should do the trick, as long as you remember to set the impedance switch to its lowest setting:

Thanks, Steve, but this won't work for me. We have a "den" downstairs, which is where I keep the Super (wife!). What I'm wanting is a small amp to put in the living room upstairs. It has to be unobtrusive (wife!) so I plan on stacking it and my Fishman acoustic amp one on top of the other so that no more floor space is taken up in the living room (wife!).

Yeah, I realize the Champion 40 is the outer limits in size for what I need. Might even need to go down to the 20.

You COULD move the Fishman out, spend a little more and replace it with a Roland Cube Street. This is a seriously nice little amp that sounds great, with luscious stereo chorus and reverbs. (Plus it will double as a small PA if you have a need...)

Don't let the stated wattage fool you, it can be seriously loud if you want it to be.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CubeStBlk

[Saos]

Originally Posted by Jerry D

No, it's actually $119.99. They're offering a 10% off veterans' day discount, which would make it $108.00. I got it slightly cheaper than that with a 15%-off first-time-buyer discount somewhere else.

It's actually 99.99 without the 10% off for veterans day so it's 89.99 with it from musicians friend not $108.00 not sure where you saw that.

[blue]

Originally Posted by Jerry D

After much consideration, and taking into account advice I've received here (thanks, everybody), I've decided on this one (although I didn't buy it from Sweetwater - got a better deal elsewhere).

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Mustang1V2

Actually, no combo amp I looked at filled 100% of my wants/needs, but this one came closest to it.

Folks really dig the modeling on that one. You just have to have the discipline to actually play the guitar and not fiddle with all those options!

[Jerry D]

Originally Posted by Saos

It's actually 99.99 without the 10% off for veterans day so it's 89.99 with it from musicians friend not $108.00 not sure where you saw that.

I saw it right HERE:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/ampli...mp?rNtt=fender mustang amp&index=3
Not sure where YOU saw $99.99. Must be a different amp.

[Saos]

If you re-read my original reply I started by saying "as an owner of a champion 20" all the voicings, fx options, and prices were for the champ 20 not the mustang. I personally think you get more bang for your buck with a champion over a mustang, but that's just my opinion.