Finally bought a Tube Amp...

[CASD57]

Well, as much as I wanted a Fender 68 Custom Vibro Champ Reverb..The $899 didn't sit well with me ..because I'm going to be using it 95% in my office and just couldn't spend that much

So I looked at the Supro's....Almost pulled the plug ....but $599-$699 for an office amp?? I'm not playing out that much and I use an acoustic a lot

I looked at others also..like the Bugera V5...

I didn't want to go to a head-cabinet combo...more stuff to carry when I do gig out..

So drum-rolllllllllllllllllllll

I settled on the Stage Right (Monoprice) Tube 15 $275 shipped
15 watts and a 1-watt button
2-EL84's
3-12AX7's
a real reverb tank
Line out
Effects loop
12in speaker
25lbs

I still have eyes for the Champ and Supro...but budget-wise and how much I play out just didn't dictate spending a lot right now..

It would have been nice to be able to find a 5-15watt tube amp designed to be a clean pedal platform but no luck

Should be here Wednesday

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by CASD57

...I settled on the Stage Right (Monoprice) Tube 15 $275 shipped
15 watts and a 1-watt button
2-EL84's
3-12AX7's
A real reverb tank
Line out
Effects loop
12in speaker
25 lbs.

It would have been nice to be able to find a 5-15watt tube amp designed to be a clean pedal platform but no luck...

You have two options:

• First off, the Monoprice is a very popular mod platform among the TDPRI crowd - highly responsive to non-invasive tweaks like tubes and speakers - as well as a light-duty small-venue combo. I'd start with a high-efficiency/low-breakup American-voiced speaker (the Eminence Cannabis Rex comes to mind) as a first step - for your tastes it may be all you need - and move to a tube upgrade if you feel the need (PSA: a 5751 tube in V1 will rein in some of the first-stage gain and clean up your tone)...
• Second option:
  
  
  
  https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...tube-combo-amp
  
  FWIW for about what it would cost you to tweak the Monoprice to your specs you could have a clean. high-headroom, gigworthy combo from the get-go, that'll also power down for home/office practice (and open up a whole new set of sonic possibilities in the process) without losing tone and with no mods needed - I've had the first-edition "blue-light" version since 2010, and it'll handle a 600-700 seat house (think Deluxe Reverb-type power) clean as you need or dirty as you want. Only possible drawback is that it's kinda heavy for its size - somewhere in the mid-40's - but the fact that it's built like a tank (unlike the lightly-built Monoprice) makes it relatively immune to the vagaries of transportation and on-stage accidents...

[CASD57]

I'm all about Bugera had a AC60 was looking for a V5 and I liked your head recommendation in another thread..
On the V22...42lbs threw me off ..lol The Stage Right is 25lbs

I have some extra 12AT7's and maybe 5751's I'll have to dig them out...

I liked a Jensen C12N's I had in a Twin... I wonder how they would sound in this?

Thanks !!

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by CASD57

...I liked a Jensen C12N's I had in a Twin...I wonder how they would sound in this?

From what I've read an American-voiced speaker goes a long way in improving the tone - but like everything else that's a matter of taste - and it wouldn't hurt to experiment...

By the same token, I've also read that you want the most efficient speaker possible in this combination - more clean volume/headroom before breakup - as well as one with a strong bass response to offset the combined effects of a small, lightly-constructed cabinet and potentially brash-sounding EL84 power tubes (neither of which is an issue in the 6L6-powered, 65-pound Twin): the Cannabis Rex meets both these requirements (~102 dB/1W/1M versus 97.7 dB for the C12N) without the significant weight of the Swamp Thang I'm running in my V22 - and FYI Fender has offered at least one limited-edition version of the Blues Junior (which has the same tube complement) with a factory-installed Cannabis Rex, so there's something to be said for it in an amp of this size/power range...

[DanR]

I recently purchased a Vox AC4TV with a 10" speaker. It was well under $300 used. Initially I couldn't get the volume past 1 without it starting to break up. A 5751 tamed the gain a bit but not enough to my liking. I ultimately installed a 12AY7 and that lowered the gain to get satisfactory clean volume with the volume control at half it's rotation. I am now very satisfied with the amp.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

You have two options:

• First off, the Monoprice is a very popular mod platform among the TDPRI crowd - highly responsive to non-invasive tweaks like tubes and speakers - as well as a light-duty small-venue combo. I'd start with a high-efficiency/low-breakup American-voiced speaker (the Eminence Cannabis Rex comes to mind) as a first step - for your tastes it may be all you need - and move to a tube upgrade if you feel the need (PSA: a 5751 tube in V1 will rein in some of the first-stage gain and clean up your tone)...
• Second option:
  
  
  
  https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...tube-combo-amp
  
  FWIW for about what it would cost you to tweak the Monoprice to your specs you could have a clean. high-headroom, gigworthy combo from the get-go, that'll also power down for home/office practice (and open up a whole new set of sonic possibilities in the process) without losing tone and with no mods needed - I've had the first-edition "blue-light" version since 2010, and it'll handle a 600-700 seat house (think Deluxe Reverb-type power) clean as you need or dirty as you want. Only possible drawback is that it's kinda heavy for its size - somewhere in the mid-40's - but the fact that it's built like a tank (unlike the lightly-built Monoprice) makes it relatively immune to the vagaries of transportation and on-stage accidents...

Nice, but too heavy.

[KevWind]

I agree no more Combo amps for me

In fact I have a Dark Gene Red .5 watt mini tube head on order, should be coming the end of this month or early Nov. I will use it with my Supro 1X 10 " extension cab that I bought with my Supro Titan 50 watt 1X10 combo amp, (which I love sound wise) BUT will be selling only because I don't want to haul around it's 47 lb

[tdyer]

I think you'll like the Stage Right. I've had one for 3 years or so and it's a great little amp. The 1 watt attenuation is a useful feature that allows you to get edge of breakup tone from the amp without super high volume.

I also had the 68 Custom Vibro-Champ Reverb for about a year and it's a good amp too - the vibrato/tremolo is wonderful - I kept the Stage Right, but ended up swapping Vibro-Champ for a Princeton.

td

[CASD57]

Originally Posted by tdyer

I think you'll like the Stage Right. I've had one for 3 years or so and it's a great little amp. The 1 watt attenuation is a useful feature that allows you to get edge of breakup tone from the amp without super high volume.

I also had the 68 Custom Vibro-Champ Reverb for about a year and it's a good amp too - the vibrato/tremolo is wonderful - I kept the Stage Right, but ended up swapping Vibro-Champ for a Princeton.

td

Nice to hear..The 68 Custom Vibro-Reverb was on my wish list....

I'm still eye-balling the Supro Delta Kings...

I'm hoping the Stage Right keeps me from buying one

[mjh42]

Enjoy the new amp!

I will say the Supro Delta King 12 I bought after all the research has been a great amp for me to use at home. The price point happiness quotient has been met.

[Tadpole]

I've had the monoprice for a year now and find it to be very nice. No regrets!
I play tele's and a Squire Jaguar and the amp sounds great.

[CASD57]

Mine will be here Wednesday..
Any clean headroom on the 1 watt channel??

[Tadpole]

Yes. I play a bit of surf and it works great!

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

Nice, but too heavy.

BTW, she'll like it too...

[CASD57]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

BTW, she'll like it too...

You forgot..."And She Will love you Long timmmme"