15-30 Watt Tube Combos?!

[J-Ron]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to posting around here but have been spying on all of you for quite sometime I thought I'd put out a question for you about 15- 30 watt tube amps (Perhaps I should specify that I am talking about electric guitar amps).
For some time, I've been set on a Vox AC15 or AC30, or perhaps a nice little Fender. A few weeks ago I plugged my guitar into a Crate Palomino V32 and was dumbfounded by the tube sound I heard... I guess I just never heard a Crate that could play turn my head that way.
My general question is this: Which 15-30 watt tube amps under $1000 really trip your trigger? Also, has anyone here had enough experience with the V32 to share their thoughts?

[Yamaha Man]

A friend of mine recently bought a Roland Cube 60... he seems to like it. It's easy to carry around and sounds good.

[Sage97]

Zinky Blue Velvet
Boogie F30

[trpullen]

I have a Rivera Quiana that has a 25w/50w switch on it.

I LOVE the tone.

My other choices are the Fender Deluxe Reverb reissue (great for the $$), the AC15 sounds great, and as Sage mentioned the Blue Velvet has very nice tone. There are a ton of great amps in that price range.

[ramsa]

The Gibson Goldtone 30W that I use can be turned down to 15W for more distortion. It just rocks.

BTW: M.F. has Epiphone 5W tube heads on sale for $99 delivered...
I've been eyeing them also.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...ead?sku=482069

[Herb Hunter]

I'm very fond of the Fender Blues Deluxe. It has two 6L6 output tubes and is rated at 40 watts but costs well under $1,000. http://fender.com/products/search.php?partno=2232200000 It has a great tone, to my ears, whether you plug in a Telecaster, Les Paul or Rickenbacker. And the difference between 40 watts and 30 watts is insignificant.

While I've never played one, the Carvin vintage tube series have always gotten good reviews. http://www.carvin.com/products/group.php?CID=VINT

Though I'm a Beatle fan, I was disappointed with the AC30 when I finally got to try one after many years of wondering what they were like. Of course, the Beatles seem to have switched to Fender once their contractual obligations to Vox, engineered by Epstein, were over or so it would seem from all the photographs I've seen of the Beatles equipment. I would like to try one again to confirm my initial impression though. It would be interesting to see how it sounds if I were to play a Gretsch guitar through it.

[franchelB]

Originally Posted by djwayne

A friend of mine recently bought a Roland Cube 60... he seems to like it. It's easy to carry around and sounds good.

Roland's Blues Cube 60 is solid state. But it DOES sound good!

[franchelB]

I have a Peavey Delta Blues. It has everything I'd ever need. I like the tone; but I also like Crate's Palomino line. I believe those are Class-A amps. The only thing that I don't care for is that I think Crate cuts the corners by having an effects loop "insert"...it's a challenge, for me, to find a RTS "Y" cable to use with my effects if I were to have a Crate.

[J-Ron]

Great suggestions! Keep 'em coming. I'd love to hear from anyone who is currently playing one (Crate Palomimo V32 that is) or perhaps someone who stopped playing one if you're out there... Pros? Cons?? Thanks again

[moo cow]

i second peavey delta blues, the one with the 15" speaker, not the 2x12's.

[~j~]

for sale, roland cube 60 (not by me):

http://thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=170059


eep! a marshall JCM800 1x12 combo on ebay, only four hours left.. still well below $1000:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Marshall-JCM-800...QQcmdZViewItem

slightly over 1000 dr. z carmen ghia:

http://thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=169749

[trpullen]

Originally Posted by moo cow

i second peavey delta blues, the one with the 15" speaker, not the 2x12's.

Technically, that would be 2x10" speakers.

[Doc]

Dr Z Carmen Ghia. It's 18 Watts.

Don't overpower!

[SLJ710]

I recently bought a Crate Palomino 16. very basic tube amp. no standby switch, one input.

was using my Fender Princeton Reverb.

I like the Crate, the reverb is not fender like, but you can get a beautiful bluesey sound as it does have "overdrive". It does run very hot though, and I am not sure how long the tubes will last. I don't play out or a lot so Im not too worried about it.

I only have two electrics, a les paul and a strat, both sound good through this little amp. for the price, its hard to beat, but ultimately you need to play all the amp choices to choose.

I do play my Taylors through it and even the ES can find a decent sound setting with this amp.

[815C]

Budget = $1,000? Look around for an old Fender Vibro Champ, or an old Fender Bassman head (50w) through the cabinet of your choice. Both are tone monsters. I picked up a '68 Fender Bassman head that had been internally black faced, with an old Fender 2x15 cabinet for 40% of your budget. I've seen old Fender Vibro Champs going for a fourth of your budget.

While its not a tube amp, I picked up a mint condition 80's Roland Jazz Chorus 55 (2 x 8 combo) that has a killer clean tone. Paid one-fourth of your budget for it. And compared to my other amps, its very light - which is an increasingly important factor the older I get. Its a great amp for jazz guitar gigs.

Overall, your going to get a lot more bang for your buck buying a used amp.