The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Electric Guitars

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 10-05-2022, 05:33 PM
FLGuitar FLGuitar is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 107
Default Bedroom amp: Tube vs solid state; volume vs Tone

Searching for an amp I can use a Gibson SG with burst buckers through in a bedroom and not disturb others yet have a good tone, two I am considering are the Orange micro terror Thru the orange 1 x8 speaker cab and or the Orange Crush 20RT as I have played both; budget would like to stay below $400.00. Looked at those solid state and valve pre amp, due to tube amps needing to be louder for more crunch distortion, open to suggestions of other amps.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 10-05-2022, 05:45 PM
Brent Hutto's Avatar
Brent Hutto Brent Hutto is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 6,276
Default

You need either an amp that has a master volume going down to the equivalent of less than 1W power level or an attenuator capable of reducing the output to that sort of level. Whether tube or solid state, bedroom volume means a real master volume or an attenuator.

If you go with a non-master-volume amp without an attenuator you'll need to turn your amp's gain/volume and/or guitar volume pot so low you severely affect the tone and EQ. And you'll need to get your dirt from pedals.

The usual advice you'll see a lot of on this forum (and elsewhere) will be that tube amps sound far, far better than solid state and there will be mentions that some of them have a "one watt" or "five watt" setting. Unless your definition of "bedroom volume" includes 100dB and higher sound pressure levels you will find a "one watt" tube amp still massively loud in a 12-by-16 or similar room, even moreso if you want to crank it to get distorted tones.
__________________
Grabbed his jacket
Put on his walking shoes
Last seen, six feet under
Singing the I've Wasted My Whole Life Blues
---Warren Malone "Whole Life Blues"
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 10-05-2022, 05:50 PM
FLGuitar FLGuitar is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 107
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brent Hutto View Post
You need either an amp that has a master volume going down to the equivalent of less than 1W power level or an attenuator capable of reducing the output to that sort of level. Whether tube or solid state, bedroom volume means a real master volume or an attenuator.

If you go with a non-master-volume amp without an attenuator you'll need to turn your amp's gain/volume and/or guitar volume pot so low you severely affect the tone and EQ. And you'll need to get your dirt from pedals.

The usual advice you'll see a lot of on this forum (and elsewhere) will be that tube amps sound far, far better than solid state and there will be mentions that some of them have a "one watt" or "five watt" setting. Unless your definition of "bedroom volume" includes 100dB and higher sound pressure levels you will find a "one watt" tube amp still massively loud in a 12-by-16 or similar room, even moreso if you want to crank it to get distorted tones.
Brent,

Thank you for the prompt reply, after reading what you wrote and doing some research, I’ve found the Bulgera V5 Infinium 1x8 5 watt tube amp with a 5W/1W/0.1W setting, although it does not have a master volume switch.

Last edited by FLGuitar; 10-05-2022 at 06:56 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 10-05-2022, 07:11 PM
Chickee Chickee is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: The Garden State
Posts: 2,856
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by FLGuitar View Post
Brent,

Thank you for the prompt reply, after reading what you wrote and doing some research, I’ve found the Bulgera V5 Infinium 1x8 5 watt tube amp with a 5W/1W/0.1W setting, although it does not have a master volume switch.
Paging Dr. DeRosa, Paging Dr. DeRosa….

😹😂😹😂😹😂

No worries FLGuitar, help is on the way.

fd
__________________
I love playing guitar
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 10-05-2022, 07:25 PM
Pine Cone Pine Cone is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Eastern Idaho
Posts: 241
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by FLGuitar View Post
Brent,

Thank you for the prompt reply, after reading what you wrote and doing some research, I’ve found the Bulgera V5 Infinium 1x8 5 watt tube amp with a 5W/1W/0.1W setting, although it does not have a master volume switch.
I just got my Bugera V5 Infinitum today so I have barely played with it, but I think it would work for you. Here is a picture of the amp, with both Volume and Gain controls. The Tone control also impacts overall volume. The Bugera manual recommends using you guitar's volume knob(s) as well to help adjust the amount of distortion coming from the amp. "The V5 is also highly sensitive to changes in your guitar's volume control... the tone will clean up as you begin to roll the volume down."

The Power Attenuator 0.1/1/5 watt switch is on the back of the amp.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg B29ED258-1EEE-4EB6-827A-927833564A6C.jpg (37.2 KB, 234 views)
__________________
Martin 000-17 SM
Martin HD-28M
Lots of loud banjos

Last edited by Pine Cone; 10-05-2022 at 07:44 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 10-05-2022, 09:21 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Staten Island, NY - for now
Posts: 14,983
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by FLGuitar View Post
Searching for an amp I can use a Gibson SG with burst buckers through in a bedroom and not disturb others yet have a good tone...budget would like to stay below $400.00...
Quote:
Originally Posted by FLGuitar View Post
...I’ve found the Bugera V5 Infinium 1x8" 5 watt tube amp with a 5W/1W/0.1W setting, although it does not have a master volume switch.
I own a V5 combo: wonderful little amp, based on a postwar single-ended Class-A circuit designed when single-coil pickups were the order of the day - an excellent match for same, but IME sounds a little dark with full-size HB's (BTW the V5 does have a master volume - simply labeled "Volume" - as well as the attenuator you mention, and between that and the headphone out you can practice at 3 AM without P.O.'ing your partner/kids/cat/neighbors/local constabulary )...

Picked up one of these for $175 brand-new during Sweetwater's Labor Day sale:



https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...ss-a-tube-head

If you have a spare cab lying around - or plan to buy/build one - the T5 head is far more flexible and versatile in all respects, more representative of the "modern Class-A" tone favored by several high-end boutique amp makers than the tweed-era vibe of the V5 combo. In addition to the two-band EQ (fairly wide-ranging BTW - this one'll allow you to scoop the mids and tweak the highs for clarity when/if need be) there's also a push-button "phat" control that bypasses the tone stack and kicks in a serious gain boost: if you have a bright-sounding, high-efficiency cab (101dB+/1W/1M rating) and a stompbox EQ (or you can get the tone[s] you need with your guitar's tone controls) you can - without exaggeration - play a 400-seat house or medium-size bar with no problem ...

That said, the V5 and T5 are sonically very different animals, united solely by the characteristic post-2010 bulletproof Bugera construction and exceptional value-per-dollar. While the V5 can be pushed into classic-rock lead territory - my last band used to do the Moody Blues "Story in Your Eyes" and I had no trouble obtaining that gradual-onset feedback in the intro with a P-90 LP - the T5's tones are of the cleaner variety: more blue-check Ampeg than Fender/more Hiwatt than Marshall (depending on your guitar/EQ settings), and unless you have exceptionally high-gain pickups (or an OD box) better-suited for cleaner styles, ranging from jazz to country to Americana to '50s/60s R&R and R&B to funk to surf to older "fat-&-crunchy" blues; as I said I own both (as well as the big-brother V22), each has a very definite place in my tone arsenal (and neither one is going anywhere) but, for my lifelong guitar-cable-amp approach and preferred musical styles (YMMV), if I were forced to pick only one for the long haul the T5 would win hands-down - enough so that there's a T50 head on my radar for the not-too-distant future...

If you're interested here's a more-detailed, hands-on review:

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...57#post7081057
__________________
"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool"
- Sicilian proverb (paraphrased)
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 10-05-2022, 10:45 PM
perttime perttime is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Finland
Posts: 2,101
Default

When I want real low volume, I plug into a preamp pedal with speaker emulation, and plug that into some computer speakers. That sounds better than my 1W Marshall, in the low ( 0.1W? ) setting turned down to similar volumes.
__________________
Breedlove,
Landola,
a couple of electrics,
and a guitar-shaped-object
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 10-06-2022, 04:12 AM
Brent Hutto's Avatar
Brent Hutto Brent Hutto is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 6,276
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by FLGuitar View Post
Brent,

Thank you for the prompt reply, after reading what you wrote and doing some research, I’ve found the Bulgera V5 Infinium 1x8 5 watt tube amp with a 5W/1W/0.1W setting, although it does not have a master volume switch.
I think the power level setting is more or less getting at the same function as a master volume knob. Not exactly but close enough.
__________________
Grabbed his jacket
Put on his walking shoes
Last seen, six feet under
Singing the I've Wasted My Whole Life Blues
---Warren Malone "Whole Life Blues"
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 10-06-2022, 07:26 AM
fwphoto fwphoto is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 375
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
I own a V5 combo: wonderful little amp, based on a postwar single-ended Class-A circuit designed when single-coil pickups were the order of the day - an excellent match for same, but IME sounds a little dark with full-size HB's (BTW the V5 does have a master volume - simply labeled "Volume" - as well as the attenuator you mention, and between that and the headphone out you can practice at 3 AM without P.O.'ing your partner/kids/cat/neighbors/local constabulary )...
I have the V5 Infinium as well. I agree that unmodified it did sound a bit dark with my Epi ES 339 with full-size HBs. Once I switched out the speaker to an Emminence Patriot & dropped in some better tubes, though, that darkness disappeared &, IMO, the amp started sounding more like a small boutique amp rather than a budget one. The tone control also actually became useful, too! I also really like the attenuator. Makes the amp very useful from the bedroom to a small gig.

Sweetwater has the V5 on sale for $200 right now so you could buy it & make all the necessary mods like I did for probably under $300. That's a lot of bang-for-the-buck in my opinion!

Frank
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 10-06-2022, 07:56 AM
FLGuitar FLGuitar is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 107
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
I own a V5 combo: wonderful little amp, based on a postwar single-ended Class-A circuit designed when single-coil pickups were the order of the day - an excellent match for same, but IME sounds a little dark with full-size HB's (BTW the V5 does have a master volume - simply labeled "Volume" - as well as the attenuator you mention, and between that and the headphone out you can practice at 3 AM without P.O.'ing your partner/kids/cat/neighbors/local constabulary )...

Picked up one of these for $175 brand-new during Sweetwater's Labor Day sale:



https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...ss-a-tube-head

If you have a spare cab lying around - or plan to buy/build one - the T5 head is far more flexible and versatile in all respects, more representative of the "modern Class-A" tone favored by several high-end boutique amp makers than the tweed-era vibe of the V5 combo. In addition to the two-band EQ (fairly wide-ranging BTW - this one'll allow you to scoop the mids and tweak the highs for clarity when/if need be) there's also a push-button "phat" control that bypasses the tone stack and kicks in a serious gain boost: if you have a bright-sounding, high-efficiency cab (101dB+/1W/1M rating) and a stompbox EQ (or you can get the tone[s] you need with your guitar's tone controls) you can - without exaggeration - play a 400-seat house or medium-size bar with no problem ...

That said, the V5 and T5 are sonically very different animals, united solely by the characteristic post-2010 bulletproof Bugera construction and exceptional value-per-dollar. While the V5 can be pushed into classic-rock lead territory - my last band used to do the Moody Blues "Story in Your Eyes" and I had no trouble obtaining that gradual-onset feedback in the intro with a P-90 LP - the T5's tones are of the cleaner variety: more blue-check Ampeg than Fender/more Hiwatt than Marshall (depending on your guitar/EQ settings), and unless you have exceptionally high-gain pickups (or an OD box) better-suited for cleaner styles, ranging from jazz to country to Americana to '50s/60s R&R and R&B to funk to surf to older "fat-&-crunchy" blues; as I said I own both (as well as the big-brother V22), each has a very definite place in my tone arsenal (and neither one is going anywhere) but, for my lifelong guitar-cable-amp approach and preferred musical styles (YMMV), if I were forced to pick only one for the long haul the T5 would win hands-down - enough so that there's a T50 head on my radar for the not-too-distant future...

If you're interested here's a more-detailed, hands-on review:

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...57#post7081057
Regarding the T5 paired with a cabinet, since the Bulgera 112TS is discontinued, how about pairing the T5 with an orange crush PPC108 1x8 20 watt cab? Or have a different similar suggestion? Not looking to play out and gig at this time, so could end up with different cabs eventually, one for bedroom quieter volume and one for playing out loud. Does Sweetwater have big discounts during Black Friday usually? Would the T5 go back to 175 and the V5 under 200 possibly?
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 10-06-2022, 08:19 AM
Chickee Chickee is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: The Garden State
Posts: 2,856
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by FLGuitar View Post
Regarding the T5 paired with a cabinet, since the Bulgera 112TS is discontinued, how about pairing the T5 with an orange crush PPC108 1x8 20 watt cab? Or have a different similar suggestion? Not looking to play out and gig at this time, so could end up with different cabs eventually, one for bedroom quieter volume and one for playing out loud. Does Sweetwater have big discounts during Black Friday usually? Would the T5 go back to 175 and the V5 under 200 possibly?
In reference to SWEETWATER-What they do many times is offer extended interest free payment options during holiday sales. 36 or 48 months, depending on the manufacturer.

Their SpecialDeal category more times than not is gear they are looking to move out of inventory, and there is no way of knowing what that may be.

As a long time Sweetwater devotee, my suggestion is develop a relationship with a sales rep there. They will work with you, when they can, and get you ten and sometimes fifteen percent off the ticket. Keep in mind though, those CoolCats work on commission and if you aren’t a regular they may not be so forthcoming with the discounts.

frank d.
__________________
I love playing guitar
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 10-06-2022, 08:45 AM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Staten Island, NY - for now
Posts: 14,983
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by FLGuitar View Post
Regarding the T5 paired with a cabinet, since the Bulgera 112TS is discontinued, how about pairing the T5 with an Orange Crush PPC108 1x8" 20 watt cab? Or have a different similar suggestion? Not looking to play out and gig at this time, so could end up with different cabs eventually, one for bedroom quieter volume and one for playing out loud. Does Sweetwater have big discounts during Black Friday usually? Would the T5 go back to 175 and the V5 under 200 possibly?
In order:
  • Although it's only a 5-watter, I'd go with something with a substantially higher power rating than 20 watts - I tried it with a Randall RG8 1x8" 35W cab (which I use with all my other mini-amps - including a Vox MV50AC 50-watter and 75W Hotone Britwind and Mojo Attack stompboxes - with no reservations) and I don't feel too secure pushing it, especially in Phat mode; speaking as an owner of Carvin gear (MB12 bass amp), you couldn't build a cab to this standard for anywhere near the current $199 price - and you won't need to purchase a separate gigging cab down the line :



    https://carvinaudio.com/products/v11...ension-cabinet

  • Like the other major retailers, Sweetwater indeed has holiday sales (in case you forgot, Columbus Day is next week ) as well as Black Friday specials; that said, if you call in and speak directly to a sales rep as Chickee suggests, IME it's not hard to get a substantial discount off the advertised price - while you may not get the one-shot Labor Day $175 (unless you're a first-class negotiator), an additional 10-15% isn't out of the question...

  • At the risk of muddying the waters a bit, this one's a wee bit above your budget but well worth a look - I've run several Gretsch guitars through the standard version, and if you're an early Beatles fan (as I am) this one'll have you digging out every pre-Revolver King George lick you've ever heard:



    https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...amp-royal-blue

    Only caveat here is that it's a limited edition, and as the ad copy says when they're gone they're gone, so you might want to come to a decision ASAP...
__________________
"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool"
- Sicilian proverb (paraphrased)
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 10-06-2022, 09:05 AM
Jdogblues's Avatar
Jdogblues Jdogblues is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2022
Location: Chicago
Posts: 269
Default

I live in a townhouse, and have a Roland Blues Cube hot that I can attenuate down to like 1/2 watt. I run a couple pedals in front of it. Sounds pretty decent to me at low volume and didn't cost a fortune. I pretty much switched to exclusively playing acoustics, its its perfect for when I want to play my one strat.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 10-06-2022, 09:18 AM
BuddyO BuddyO is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2022
Location: New England
Posts: 57
Default

I also just got a new Bugera V5 from Sweetwater for $200 a couple of weeks ago. I liked it so much, I replaced my Fender Blues jr. with the V22.

To note, it does has a headphone out jack that mutes the speaker, but I have not tried it yet.

The V5 does sound darker than even the V22, but I find it easy to adjust with the Tone controls on the amp and my guitar.

Bugera V5.jpg
__________________
Taylor AD17e
Comins GCS-1ES
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 10-06-2022, 05:59 PM
FLGuitar FLGuitar is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 107
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
In order:
  • Although it's only a 5-watter, I'd go with something with a substantially higher power rating than 20 watts - I tried it with a Randall RG8 1x8" 35W cab (which I use with all my other mini-amps - including a Vox MV50AC 50-watter and 75W Hotone Britwind and Mojo Attack stompboxes - with no reservations) and I don't feel too secure pushing it, especially in Phat mode; speaking as an owner of Carvin gear (MB12 bass amp), you couldn't build a cab to this standard for anywhere near the current $199 price - and you won't need to purchase a separate gigging cab down the line :



    https://carvinaudio.com/products/v11...ension-cabinet

  • Like the other major retailers, Sweetwater indeed has holiday sales (in case you forgot, Columbus Day is next week ) as well as Black Friday specials; that said, if you call in and speak directly to a sales rep as Chickee suggests, IME it's not hard to get a substantial discount off the advertised price - while you may not get the one-shot Labor Day $175 (unless you're a first-class negotiator), an additional 10-15% isn't out of the question...

  • At the risk of muddying the waters a bit, this one's a wee bit above your budget but well worth a look - I've run several Gretsch guitars through the standard version, and if you're an early Beatles fan (as I am) this one'll have you digging out every pre-Revolver King George lick you've ever heard:



    https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...amp-royal-blue

    Only caveat here is that it's a limited edition, and as the ad copy says when they're gone they're gone, so you might want to come to a decision ASAP...
Your right I forgot about Columbus Day and possible sales, based on your most informative I’m thinking of pairing the V5 Bulgera with the Carvin V112E, for a stero effect, any idea input on how that would sound? Is it possible to hook the Bulgera V5 up to the Carvin V112E without adding any additional jacks?

Last edited by FLGuitar; 10-06-2022 at 06:51 PM.
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Electric Guitars

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:58 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=