Can you recommend a good tube amp?

Gear
#11

You’re better off with a 50/100 watt amp with a good master volume than a 5 watt amp that needs to be cranked to sound good.

For a while I had the Victory Kraken head which you could run at 50, 25 or 1 watt and all you got out of the 1 watt setting was that it was still loud, it just now sounded awful.

Having said that everyone has said good things about the MT15 as mentioned above - I think it has a lot of the specs of a 50 watt amp (i.e. transformer) just running at 15.

edit: If ss amps are noisy I’m not sure tubes will help with that

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#12

I was worried about this, I tried to pull the trigger on a JP2C shortly after the acquisition, but Mesa can’t ship to the UK until they have sorted out certification after EU/brexit shite!

#13

Currently playing through the Kraken and I tend to agree. I like the sound of the 1-watt single ended for some stuff, but it has to be cranked, which defeats the point lol. I’m gonna grab a Captor X and see if I can get by without a cab.

#14

Which solid state amp did you try that was noisy?
If you want good tones at bedroom level, you may want to look into a small modeling amp. Most brands from Fender to Boss to Yamaha make them. The tones won’t be as good as a tube amp, in my opinion, but having the ability to get whisper quiet heavily distorted tones is a factor you may want to consider. I use a small Fender modeling amp at night when the kids are asleep and my tube amp during the day.

#15

@PickingApprentice I can only imagine outside the US how hard it got to get a JP2C, and now (from what I’ve seen) the used market is all over the place.

#16

@superstrings coincidentally, as I was looking for a way to improve my bass tone, I started looking at the darkglass element (cab sim + headphone amp). They IMO don’t advertise it well but it also does guitar sims, so you could pair it with a guitar pedal / preamp (I was looking at the origin effects hot rod). You’re looking at like $250 for the darkglass and $400 for the origin effects (both new).

#17

My current “noisy” SS amp is a Spider IV 75 75W 1x12 Guitar Combo Amp.

#18

I use a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier.

It sounds awesome, built like a tank, probably will outlast me.

:metal: :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

#19

I have the Trem-o-verb head and it is like a caricature of the tube-amps-not-sounding-good-at-low-volume thing, it is just absolutely appalling on the gain channels when turned down

on the other hand I also have a Mark V and that can sound good at all volumes (though not ‘the same’)

#20

be careful the 6505 mini is really nice but Peavy’s QC since they moved production to Vietnam is known to be atrocious. Every time I go into the local music store there is at least one DOA Peavy product.

#21

If you don’t mind using amp in a box pedals for your dirt the Roland JC 40 is really nice and its loud enough that you could play it at home and in a band. I almost wish it had a wattage selector it gets crazy loud for 40 watts. Solid state though.

#22

Thought these sounded good.

I had a Laney LC15R that was awesome, real genuine tube distortion at any volume. And loud enough to keep up with with a band. Great master volume. I still have it; it’ needs some work. Has a decent loop too. The new cub super models seems to be an improved version.

Wow… these sound really good.

#23

Update - I ended up buying the Marshall DSL5CR and am loving it. It has a nice crunchy tone even at super low volume levels, and can get loud enough for a small sized hall. Thanks everyone for your advice.

4 Likes
#24

@superstrings that’s awesome man, I’ve always been tempted to get one. Record some clips!

#25

Sweet, in my opinion, the DSL is one of Marshall’s best.

#26

I agree Marshall’s DSL is the best I have in my arsenal!!! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

#27

I bought a Blackstar HT5 Mark II after searching for a new home amp. It even has a switch to go down to 0,5W from 5W, so the crunch breakup starts at room volume level with very direct dynamics and nice rich tone. I highly recommend that amp.

Check out the HT-5R MkII Little Amp, Big Sound YT video.

#28

I really like my monoprice amp. Theres some reviews on youtube about it. With a dod250, and a compressor it is amazing value, true spring reverb you can actually mod for a bigger tank, has a series effects loops, and a built in attenuation. But I would say practice more on a classical, and switch to electric when you can really crank it up and not annoy others around.

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=611815

#29

I’m going to second Frylock here - if the issue you’re having that’s making you look at tube amps isn’t anything to do with tone, but you’re just hearing more ewlectrical interference than you’d like, a tube amp isn’t the answer. You could try some sort of power conditioner or something, but I lived in a place with just weirdly background-noise-prone widing and there was nothing I ever found I could really do that hekped aside from just live with it.

Plenty of good tube amp options on the market, especially if you’re willing to go used, but I think you’re still going to have hum problems regardless of what you plug into.

#30

Actually, I’m hearing way less electrical interference with this tube amp. I like its distorted sound at very low volumes as well. Overall, extremely happy with it so far!