at home amp

[The Old Gaffer]

There is really no good alternative to playing through an amp before you buy.
You have to decide what kind of sound you like. I like Fenderish tones. Do you need on board tube-driven reverb? Of the four smallish amps I had, I would also suggest the Fender Princeton Reverb Reissue. I bought one a few years ago for $450, but those days might be gone.
You might be able to use a Deluxe Reverb Reissue but that might be getting a tad too big for your intended use. If you can find a small Boogie in your price range, that could work. I have a Mesa Boogie Subway Blues that I like. The Traynor YCV-20WR is a extremely attractive looking and great sounding amp, I had one and it was nice although I did install a more American-style speaker in it.
I know you said "TUBE" amps, but I think the solid state Fender Princeton Chorus sounded great.
If you don't need reverb in the amp. look for a classic Fender Champ or Vibro Champ.
There are a host of other manufacturers that now offer low wattage tube amps, I am not familiar with them, but go try them for yourself.

[joebloggs]

Reeves Custom 50 with power scaling. Fantastic cleans and Live at Leeds tones without the ear bleed volume. Monstrous tone that can be tamed. Best of both worlds.

[rdawsoniii]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Roy definitely put you on the right track - don't expect the clarity and headroom of a ten-tube, 100W Twin Reverb from a five-watter with a single low-output power tube; you'll also learn with time how to control your tone, and not only with the expected combination of guitar and amp control settings - many experienced electric players can ride the ragged edge between "big-clean" and the onset of overdrive by touch alone. BTW the V5's gain, tone, and volume controls are highly interactive, and you'll need to play around a bit to find your own sweet spot; trust me, it's in there - along with a whole bunch of other highly useful tones - and FWIW this "discovery" aspect is half the fun of owning a minimalist tube amp of this type...

FYI I'm also running a set of these in my own amp, and IME flipping the money you saved on your initial purchase into some primo-quality tubes (as I did) will take your amp to the next level:

https://www.thetubestore.com/bugera-v5-premium-package

While this setup works for me - the power tube is Soviet-era mil-spec, less brash-sounding than a typical EL84 tube, and in conjunction with the Infinium circuitry it'll probably outlive your grandchildren - some guys use a 5751 preamp tube in place of the 12AX7, to lower the initial gain factor and clean up the tone a bit more; please note that IME you'll also be dropping the volume - just how much depends on the guitar you'll be using - so you'll want to take that into consideration as well. There's also another V5 owner here on the AGF (whose name escapes me right now) who's had a lot of success with a Tung-Sol 12AX7 preamp tube and a JJ EL84 power tube in his own amp - thetubestore.com offers this setup as their "value package" (about half the price of what I'm running), so if cost is a major factor this one might be well worth a look...

Good luck with your new amp - use it well, often and LOUD...

I have a JAN Philips 12AT7 and Tung-Sol EL84 in my V5 that I like a lot. Been wanting to put an Eminence 820H speaker in, which I hear really takes this already great amp to another level, but haven’t gotten around to it yet.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by rdawsoniii

...Been wanting to put an Eminence 820H speaker in, which I hear really takes this already great amp to another level, but haven’t gotten around to it yet.

I did, it does, and you should...

[Mark L]

Not quite in your price range, OP, but not that far. I got mine for 600, a few years ago, and it is absolutely my “grab and go”. Terrific little amp.

Swart also makes a somewhat pricey attenuator which you can pick up later to dime the amp and play at bedroom whisper volumes.

I hope posting a reverb ad is ok, mods. It’s not mine and I have no interest, or knowledge of the seller. Just an example of a current asking price:

https://reverb.com/item/24550177-min...over-low-hours

[eyesore]

well I did buy the Bugera V5. it's cool . but not as clean as I like.still need to get a delay pedal for the sound I want .

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by eyesore

Well, I did buy the Bugera V5. It's cool. but not as clean as I like...

Some suggestions based on extensive personal experience:

• As I stated previously this is by no means a plug-&-play amp; the gain/tone/volume controls are highly interactive, and you'll need to play with them for a while to find the sweet spot for your guitar(s)
• Make sure the switch on the back panel is on the 5W setting; seems obvious, but I had to help out a guy at the semi-local GC when he wondered why he wasn't getting any clean tone/volume (some wannabe thrasher had put it in the 0.1W position and dimed the controls) - cycle it through the settings with the amp off, make sure it's solidly in the 5W position, turn it back on, and see if you have better results
• As with all other Bugera products - and nearly all other Pac-Rim mass-market tube amps (not to mention a few US/UK big-name boxes) - the inherent inconsistency of the cheap OEM tubes is the weak link (and IME a major reason for the low price of these amps in general); if you have access to another V5 I'd recommend doing an A/B comparison - I've played a fsw with really good factory tubes, and one that was a total killer - but absent that option you'll probably be upgrading the tubes sooner than later, and the $15 or so for an aftermarket EL84 power tube is money well spent
• Allow some time for the speaker to break in (50-75 hours at moderate volume) - the Turbosound speakers fitted to the current Infinium V-Series combos/cabs are actually quite good for OEM, far better than the Celestion wannabes that came in the "blue-light" first-run versions - and you'll likely notice more output as things loosen up a bit
• That said, there's always the option of a speaker upgrade; I'm also a mostly clean-tone player who likes to ride the ragged edge once in a while and control dynamics/tone color through touch alone and, as I've done with nearly every amp I own I replaced the factory speaker (once again I emphasize that this was strictly personal preference), in this case with a hemp-cone Eminence 820H - sort of a baby Cannabis Rex that works better with my specific instruments/style/technique

Once again it's largely a matter of familiarity, and although I've tweaked mine - as I do with all my amps - I'd have no problem whatsoever doing a coffeehouse gig with an out-of-the-box V5...

Use it well, often, and LOUD...

[eyesore]

Thanks a million Steve , I'm gonna play with it alittle now ,but it's late , tommorrow will be better.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by eyesore

Thanks a million Steve, I'm gonna play with it a little now but it's late, tomorrow will be better.

Didja notice the headphone output on the rear panel - just the ticket when you don't want to P.O. your neighbors/spouse/cat at 3AM...

[Shades of Blue]

If I was in the market for a small combo right now, I'd either grab a Blues Jr, Marshall Origin, or a Fender Princeton. Yeah, I'd go Princeton!

[eyesore]

hi Steve I didn't try the headphone jack yet ,didn't really notice it. but i'll try it . The Princeton is what i really wanted but ,too much money everywhere i looked. still want a decent Delay pedal though.

[rwmct]

Am home alone for a couple days, so the PRRI is up in the living room along with the Telecaster. Works just fine at home (I do close the windows).