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Good, small amp.
I'm buying a Gibson SG Special soon (it reminds me of the SG I played in a couple of bands back in the '60s) and I'm wondering what a good, reasonably priced small amp would be. It'll be used primarily for rhythm and playing at home and in small areas. I'm looking for something small but with a more or less vintage ('60s/'70s) sound. These days I know absolutely nothing about electric amps.
Any advice would help.
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Phil Playing guitar badly since 1964. Some Taylor guitars. Three Kala ukuleles (one on tour with the Box Tops). A 1937 A-style mandolin. |
#2
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Fender Mustang I, II, or III depending on budget (roughly $100, $200 or $300). They're solid state amps that effectively model the sounds of Fender classics like the Twin Reverb, Deluxe, Bassman, etc as well as those from others like Marshall, Orange and Vox. A nice set of built-in effects gives even more versatility. Sure, it's not a tube amp but it comes pretty close and for the price these are a best buy.
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#3
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Hi Phil,
Like Catdaddy said (I happen to be writing my post at the same time as he was), I suggest (my opinion only) a solid state amp. (One like a Fender Mustang which has multiple clean/overdriven channels, multi effects, inbuilt tuner and a headphone socket just in case the wife/neighbors tell you to turn it down). They're cheaper and more versatile than a valve amp (the sound quality is very good on most) and they're better for playing around the house. I own a Fender Mustang amp and it's fantastic. (Even if I can't bring myself to venture past the three Fender amp simulator channels). If I was going any smaller than my Mustang then potentially a Roland Cube or Micro-cube could do the job. (There are lot's of small solid state amps to choose from). If on the other hand you want a small, inexpensive tube amp, then I'd recommend a Fender Blues Junior. Lot's of discussions already had about this same subject on the Board. (Check them out). Good luck! Last edited by Steel and wood; 07-16-2015 at 04:24 AM. |
#4
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Quote:
Another route is converting and old pa or odd balls...I've had 7-8 of these cheap and working oldies (all were way less than $100...the best score was $25 se el84 that only need a small spkr tear fixed with elmers and coffee filter and would eat a Blues Pro for a snack)...a couple of years ago downsized to 2...yet still have a hard time resisting many candidates. Some of these old pa and odd ball amps are quite stellar with just a tad of bench time. My never to be sold example is an old Bogen VP12 record player conversion gotten for $65, sent to Skip Simmons and will easily hang with any vintage, custom or boutique for a fraction of price. The thing to pay attention to is the tube line up and the general circuits...alot of the old 40's-50's circuits were fairly simple and similar...especially in the student Fender Champ, Princeton and Deluxe lines of the early non-reverb amps...and the equivalent lines of Valco, Supro, Silvertone, Masco, Gibson and the like...imho...many simply blow away a Blues Jr/Pro, off the shelf circuit board amps...no comparison. These old amps have old heavy duty iron, true ptp wiring and often found with working duty old genuine rca, philips and tung sol tubes. The other thing to pay attention to is the speaker size and efficiency. In the old champs/princeton the 8" speakers...size and inefficiency allows you to crank up the volume knob and get into saturation/distortion without the volume levels. If you mainly play clean...just get a more efficient and/or larger speaker...used spkrs are cheap. These days pedals for reverb, distortion, delay, eq are plentiful and often found used for very little money. So if you want to change your champ/princeton's tone to a Marshall/Hiwatt/?...absolutely tons of pedal offerings to get you anywhere...a whole nother rabbit hole. Or just get a cheap modeller to throw in front...ime old vox tonelab tt...works really well for cleanish...or old pod 2.0 for heavier or yamaha dg stomp... all cheap on the used market. btw...if you need more volume for a bigger gig...plug in any 5 watt amp into a 2x12, 4x12 cab or just mic it...lots of small indie folks using small amps mic'd Last edited by wrathfuldeity; 07-16-2015 at 05:58 AM. |
#5
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Recently went through the same thing and ended up getting a Fender Frontman 25R on closeout from Guitar Center.
I read the reviews on this amp and took the advice of many owners and upgraded the stock speaker to an Eminence Ragin' Cajun. HUGE difference! This is a COMPLETELY different sounding amp now. It will easily do small to medium size rooms. For a 25 watt amp, it gets LOUD and, it's small size and light weight make it a lot easier to haul around.
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#6
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How about a living room amp?
Epiphone Electar Limited Edition! All tube, 18 watts, $339. Check out the video, HERE. Bob
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"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' " Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring THE MUSICIAN'S ROOM (my website) |
#7
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I bought a like new Vox VT20+ on Reverb.com for 125 bucks. New they retail for $179.99, which is still pretty cheap in my opinion for what you get.
It's a tube amp, with a bunch of presets, most of which sound great to me just as they are, or you can tweak them however you like and save. And not too difficult to figure out how to use. 2 channels, lots of bells and whistles. Plus, there's a power setting where you can adjust the watts you're putting out---up to 30 I think. This allows you to play loud, of course, when you're jamming with other folks, but even cooler IMO, is that it allows you to crank up the volume and gain, etc. in order to get the thing to break up or otherwise create those sounds that require really clocking up some settings, but then dial DOWN the wattage so it's quiet and home-friendly. So you can get high-volume sounds at low volume. Not sure I explained that clearly. I'm pretty novice when it comes to amps. But I know what I mean. So there's that. http://www.voxamps.com/vt20+ |
#8
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Vox Pathfinder 15R
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I'm a Lefty ... Playing Lefty guitars !!! 2001 Epiphone Casino 2012 Voyage Air VA-OM04 2011 Gibson Les Paul Honeyburst 60's Tribute w/P90's 2005 Gibson J160-E 2001 314ce LTD |
#9
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I'll throw the Fender Champion 40 into the mix. It offers some creativity in sound choice but doesn't hook up to Fender Fuse...
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#10
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The Gibson GA15 is a really sweet little amp which you might find 2nd hand. Quite a few old Gibsons turn up on ebay.
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#11
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Quote:
play music!
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2014 Martin 00015M 2009 Martin 0015M 2008 Martin HD28 2007 Martin 000-18GE 2006 Taylor 712 2006 Fender Parlor GDP100 1978 Fender F65 1968 Gibson B25-12N Various Electrics |
#12
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Vox AC4-C1 . It's a fairly bright amp with the stock tubes, but has an awesome sound, and should play well with the SG tone-wise. Short of that, a silver face champ would also be cool (especially with a tweed mod).
Someone mentioned the Frontman; I'm actually ok on a certain level with the Frontman series, used within its limitations and with lower output (single coil) axes... But with higher output and volume, they fall apart in a way that's almost hilarious. I've never known anyone who invested in any mods/speakers on these, and would be interested to hear the result. I've heard good modelers these days (Mustang included), but to me as long as modelers are just trying to get close to a valve amp, might as well buy a valve amp More reliable/repairable, and just more fun IMO. I've owned modelers; they usually just wind up stuck on the model I enjoy most, and I wonder in the background if the real thing is better. Not worth the worry to me. |
#13
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Fender Princeton Reverb Reissue or Deluxe Reverb Reissue amps would be about right. If you are patient you can fine either of these for $600 or less used. The Traynor YCV20WR is another good option. Again, I recommend buying used.
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#14
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You can't go wrong with one of the modeling amps from Fender or Vox. The prices are reasonable and you can get a ton of different sounds from them.
The tube-only guys sneer at them, but no tube amp was ever as versatile as the better modelers. Whether the modelers can cut it in a band situation.....some say they can, and others say no. I'd rather have a good tube amp for that. But for fooling around at home, they're very good. |
#15
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what about the Carvin V16? there is one on craigslist that i am going to try tomorrow for $250.00 used.
http://carvinamplifiers.com/collecti...att-triode-amp
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___________________________________________ 1933 Gibson L-00 2007 Taylor 110 2013 Taylor GS Mini 2018 Eastman E10M 1977 Sigma DR-9 2012 Republic Miniolian 2016 Recording King ROS-G9M |