#1
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New Small Amp Day
I had mentioned last week in Dru's amp thread that I was looking for a head for my JBL D130 15" cabinet. I finally decided last Saturday after checking some out. There have been some nice low wattage suggestions recently. I finally decided to order a Peavey ValveKing Mini 20 and it arrived today. It is a switchable 20/5/1 watt tube head with EL34's and weighs less than 15 lbs. I didn't want to spend time building a kit so this was quick, fairly low budget solution. I already have a VOX AC 15 and larger amps but this head will work as a backup for our lead player when we are gigging, as it has a direct out to the PA. The features are best described on the Peavey web site and it has many. I did an A/B against my AC 15 tonight but it isn't a fair comparison as anything would sound better through the JBL 15. It is very full and articulate and the low end is great as it always is with the 15 . Anyway, I use clean all the time but did check the distortion channel. It goes from slight to insane and seems works well on the 1 watt setting but I will probably never use it. It will take some more testing but it looks good from the get-go. I used my Hamer Newport with the Phat Cats for the test. At about $350 it is a good value if it holds up well. We will see. I am going to order Red Tolex and cover it to match the cabinet. -- Darwin
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#2
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Have you used the Vari-Class together with the power level switch yet - I'd be curious how it sounds at different settings/levels (same settings I use on my Bugera V22, BTW - EQ @12:00, 'verb on 3. pentode mode),,,
Don't know what your tube complement is, but if you're running the usual 12AX7/EL84 setup and prefer cleaner tones I can't recommend these highly enough: http://www.thetubestore.com/Tubes/Pr...ies-7025-12AX7 http://www.thetubestore.com/Tubes/Pr...9-Premium-EL84 If that's a sealed or ported cab a set of these will probably let you do double duty, as a low-volume/big-tone bass rig for acoustic jams as well... Good luck and enjoy... |
#3
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Didn't know of this model - looks really cool. I'm a big believer in the low wattage tube amps. Very practical as home practice and rehearsal tools. I'll have to track that one down and give it a test drive.
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Some might call me a "Webber Guitars enthusiast". |
#4
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Steve, I did try the Vari-class and noticed that is is fatter in either the A/B and A position. When in the middle it drops the low end a bit and is a bit quieter and very defined. I didn't try it with distortion. This is a vented cabinet and comes with decent tubes, JJ's for power tubes and I don't recall the preamp brand but they are decent. That is one thing I found when doing my research. I also like the reverb so it turned out to be a nice find. It is very quiet, no noise when idle. I still have a lot to learn about it and am gigging this weekend so will get back to in next week. I gig as a bass player so no opportunity to test it gigging. -- Darwin
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#5
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Congrats Darwin. I didn't realize Peavey had an amp scalable to 5w/1w. Something to add to my research.
There are so many low wattage tube amps out there at affordable prices. It's great. |
#6
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Thanks Dru, I have decided to add photos showing the rear as it will show a lot of the functionality. -- Darwin
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#7
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Sweet, it has an FX loop.
The USB audio, that just goes into your computer? |
#8
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Yes, the USB can go directly to your computer. -- Darwin
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