Is a 15w amp too loud for home practice?

[Gmountain]

Could I suggest an Ibanez TSA15? It's a 15 watt that can be switched to 5 watts. It has a built in Tube Screamer circuit, so you can sound like SRV at really low volumes. You get a fantastic clean tube sound, but with the TS circuit engaged you can get the great break up sound at really low volume, or you can crank it.

You don't see it much in stores, but check out the reviews on line. I LOVE mine.

[TjthePhD]

Originally Posted by adaw2821

But I also value my hearing..

Invest in a pair of musician's earplugs. I got mine from Etymotic Research ($12 as I recall; not much to pay for what you are getting). You can crank it pretty loud and still hear the details of what you are doing without envisioning a future with hearing aids.

[Yamaha Man]

As you probably know, I bought a Supra Dual Tone 24 watt amp for my bedroom studio. It's quite powerful and plenty loud. I installed a Timmy pedal to use as like a pre-amp to cut down on the volume while adding grit. So I can get a nice distorted sound at low volumes, which is what I need, so as not to tick off the neighbors.

24 watt is plenty for me. I get a nice rich tone out of it. I'm still experimenting with it, but have nothing but positive things to say about the amp.....


a couple things fell into place in my favor and the amp is almost paid off already, so I'm really stoked about it. I thought it would take longer to pay off, but no........I really wasn't planning on buying a Supro just yet because they are kind of pricey for a home studio.., but this deal became available and I didn't want to pass it up. a couple more payments and that's it....

[TheChicagoTodd]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

For your consideration (from thetubestore.com website):

Let's see: tames volume (reining in an AC30 is a very strong testimonial in my book), gives both breakup and lower levels without sucking tone, you can control everything from your guitar, and there's no need for either an attenuator or a bias job - um, isn't this exactly what you're looking for...?

These sound like they would be awesome!

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk

[TheChicagoTodd]

Originally Posted by Blunote

I have a Little Lanilei 3350. It's a boutique amp built by Tris Mahaffay at Mahaffay Amps. He also makes a model he calls the Hi-Low Plexi.

They have a pre-amp and two power stages, the first is a 1/4 watt tube. It feeds at line level into a 33 watt solid state power section. The amps allow you to get tube tone and distortion at volumes you can talk over, or you can drive a pair of 4X12 cabinets at stage volumes.

They typically cost around $250 new.

http://www.mahaffayamps.com/index.htm

Wow! Some really cool amps!

Todd in Chicago

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk

[Warrenaines]

Originally Posted by adaw2821

So I've been dabbling in electric guitar after being mostly an acoustic player. I have an El cheapo guitar and practice amp. I finally decided I want to invest in some good quality gear. I'm planning on getting a American special tele. The problem I've been running into is with the amp. I really like the fender bassbreaker breaker and played it a little bit at guitar center. However the 7w version has no effects loof or reverb.

Would the 15w be too loud for home use? I might use an overdrive pedal, but I would still like to be getting some of my crunch from the amp.

My alternative would be to go with a line 6 HD 500x, unless someone has other recommendations on a good low power tube amp with an effects loop.

Thanks for any help!

I'm in a somewhat similar situation. Have been playing acoustic for a long time and picked up my first electric recently -- used Strat Ultra ('91). Have a Yamaha THR10C that I like a lot and am considering getting a real tube amp and have been reading up a lot on various forums etc.

The amount of varying firmly entrenched beliefs on playing a tube amp at home volume (e.g., moderately loud TV volume) is pretty amazing. Things I've heard from multiple sources include:

1. no tube amp will sound good at home;
2. any tube amp that doesn't scale down to <1 watt is way too loud for home use
3. no relatively low watt tube amp sounds as full as a higher watt amp even with listening volume being equal (a lot of iconic recordings seem to disagree)
4. a master volume knob on any amp kills its tone; attenuators are worse, volume pedals or other methods to lower volume are much worse
5. any variety of these ___ 40+ watt amps sound great at home volume, just control the master volume
6. any variety of these ___ 15+ watt amps sound great at home volume, but you'll need an attenuator etc. even if it has master volume

Some of these seem rediculous. Some seem to have some science or logic behind them, albeit somewhat flawed. For example, most people hear bass/mids/treble differently at low volume. Likewise, while a loud classic tube amp likely won't subjectively sound as good at home volume as it does cranked up, that's because many people (myself included) simple enjoy music at varying degrees of higher volume irrespective of tubes/SS etc. There's videos of amps sounding quite good to my ears at home volumes ranging from (generally) loud Mesas to boutiques that are designed to scale down.

Additionally, a vintage classic loud higher watt tube amp was indeed primarily designed for stage rather than home use, but there's certainly plenty of modern tube amps that are. A vintage Fender amp + fairly expensive attenuator can still cost the same or less than a modern boutique amp like a Carr skylark that's built to scale down to bedroom volume. Which sounds better? I don't know and will likely never be able to A/B that specific comparison, but seems like there's a lot of options and I'm fortunate to have a retailer nearby that carries Carrs and Swarts in addition to bigger amps.

I'm not ready to drop $2k on a tube amp that's primarily for home use. But I could justify ~$1k -- I could sell a good Martin and come out $1k+ ahead.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Warrenaines

...The amount of varying firmly entrenched beliefs on playing a tube amp at home volume (e.g., moderately loud TV volume) is pretty amazing. Things I've heard from multiple sources include:

1. no tube amp will sound good at home;
2. any tube amp that doesn't scale down to <1 watt is way too loud for home use
3. no relatively low watt tube amp sounds as full as a higher watt amp even with listening volume being equal (a lot of iconic recordings seem to disagree)
4. a master volume knob on any amp kills its tone; attenuators are worse, volume pedals or other methods to lower volume are much worse
5. any variety of these ___ 40+ watt amps sound great at home volume, just control the master volume
6. any variety of these ___ 15+ watt amps sound great at home volume, but you'll need an attenuator etc. even if it has master volume

Some of these seem ridiculous. Some seem to have some science or logic behind them, albeit somewhat flawed...

As I used to teach my fifth-graders, let's look at these points through a different lens:

• What is your definition of "good" amp tone: jazzcats, surf dudes, indie-rockers, and headbangers will give you vastly differing responses - and massive amounts of gain/distortion is no more the be-all-and-end-all than "pre-war 1-3/4" neck" is for the straight acoustic guys
• How broad-based is your repertoire: are you basically a single-style player, a studio hired-gun who needs to shift gears on a dime, or somewhere in between
• Are you regularly using different types of instruments through a single amp: not too many amps of any type/size will do equal tonal justice to full-size hollowbodies, '80s-style shred planks, and your run-of-the-mill Tele/LP/335/Strat, with a variety of different OEM/aftermarket pickups - and those that meet the "I can't get a bad sound out of this amp no matter what" test justly fall under the heading of "iconic"
• Do you have a size/weight limit, and/or do you need a single amp that'll serve both practice and performance needs: while a 4x12" half-stack or blackface Dual Showman can sound absolutely glorious (and are quite useable at practice volumes for certain styles/instruments FYI) practical considerations - advancing age, physical limitations, or the fact that you're getting to gigs in a Fiat 500 - can often take the ultimate decision out of your hands

In practice, any one (or more) of the "firmly entrenched beliefs" you cite can be perfectly valid, given one's personal tonal requirements/criteria...

[virob]

Check out the LF from Allen amps. Might be what your looking for. I built an Allen Sweet Spot and really like it, but the LF looks like a great home amp.

http://allenamps.com/lf.php