suggestions for a 5 watt tube amp

Discussion in 'Guitar Gear Talk Forum' started by unkle, Jul 2, 2011.

  1. unkle

    unkle New Member

    need a nice lil amp for playing and recording, i am not in a band or do gigs so being loud is not required, i just like a nice tube tone, dont want to spend a lot at the moment but dont want to buy something which i will have no use later.
    read about the epiphone valve junior and that seems to fit the bill ( i love to mod things up) but i dont know if i can buy it in india.

    saw a fender champ 600 at onstage, did not try it out..i just dont know what to make of the 6'
    checked out the BE3 website their brat looks good for my need but then i will have to get it shipped to delhi
    i plan to roll my own later but right nw i want to get something i can instantly play so DIY is out of question.

    would love to hear your thoughts about the champ 600 or other options that can be bought in delhi.
    for reference i have a quite a few strats/teles/lp with varied pickups have some esps too with emgs ( 81,80,85,60)but i am not into that type of thing anymore( atleast for now)...have a pod and johnson j station lying around but i dont want no simulation....what i mean is gearwise i am not a beginer, is just that i want to start playing again .
    looking forward for inputs
    Unkle
     
  2. thehundredthone

    thehundredthone Well-Known Member

    The Be3 is very good value for the money. The Laney Cub series and the Vox 4W are also worth considering, if you like their tone.

    A 6" speaker is going to lack in low end.
     
  3. rickkkyrich

    rickkkyrich Guest

    Yes the Laney Cub series is good for the price they come for... I tried out the Cub 8 and Cub 10 recently... Pretty good for bedroom practice amp..
     
  4. shailm

    shailm New Member

    I think the most easily available ones will be the Laney Cub 12(?), and the Vox AC4 series, both available at Furtado's. Having experience with the Vox, I can recommend it. Good for home, and recording.
    Pros-
    - ability to play at 1/4th watts, 1 watt, or 4 watts. You can get tube distortion at bedroom levels
    - when just starting to break-up, has a nice bluesy edge (very Voxey), but when cranked, borders fuzz(this could be a pro or con for you)
    - choice between 8" or 10" Celestion speakers, Head and Cab versions.
    - build quality seems decent, owned 2, no issues so far.
    - looks awesome.

    Cons-
    - might not be enough headroom for you. With a low output strat, at 4 watts, amp will start breaking up quite a bit before the halfway mark. If your using high output humbuckers, it'll breakup even sooner (but its still not too bad for home use).
    - changing tubes doesn't look like it would be too easy (luckily haven't had to do that yet).
    - lack of enough tone control. Comes with 3 knobs; volume, 1/4w/1w/4w, tone. The tone knob isn't very responsive.
    - more expensive than the cub, retails at 14,000 at Furtado's.
    Its still a nice amp though, and if you like a nice Vox tone, this isn't a bad option. But since I haven't played the cub cant compare them.
     
  5. unkle

    unkle New Member

    Awesome input guys, I am stoked, I mean I wasnt even aware of the laney and vox, now this gives me a few choices.
    I dont want to limit myself to 5 watts as my room is acoustically treated and sound proofed.
    so now it pretty much boils down to the laney 10 or vox, are any of these available in delhi?
    i was thinking an fx loop would be really helpful for me as i have a rack full of effects ( think ensoniq dp4, alesis q2, korg dlr types from the 90's)

    Shalim reading your suggestions makes me wanna get the vox cuz it will have that voxy thing going, I am pretty sure i will be getting more amps in the future so right now i would rather get something that has a distinct character.

    would love to hear from someone who has the experience with both, also does Furtado have a website or price list somewhere.
    i am flexible with the budget if i am getting a good deal, i mean the laney looks like its priced same as its in europe or US
    keep the suggestions comming in guys its really helpful
    thanks again thehundredthone, Ricky and Shalim preciate it
     
  6. rickkkyrich

    rickkkyrich Guest

    Both Laney and Vox will be available in Delhi...
     
  7. unkle

    unkle New Member

    I just checked on bhargava and rajmusicals website and they dont carry the laney, i had been to onstage in sec 18 noida and they only had the fender champ, what are the other places to look for? i know of bharat music in lajpat nagar but i dont would rather not see his face.
     
  8. rickkkyrich

    rickkkyrich Guest

    For Laney go to Furtados !
     
  9. unkle

    unkle New Member

    dammit.. man I am thick! i just presumed furtados since its such a funky name is only in bombay...i am off to lajpat nagar!!
    thanks again ricky!
     
  10. deepsal

    deepsal New Member

    fuk the laney
    get a valveking royal 8
    or a champ clone in a biscuit box built by be3
     
  11. thehundredthone

    thehundredthone Well-Known Member

    Because the Royal 8 is still in production, right.
     
  12. rickkkyrich

    rickkkyrich Guest

    hahahaha...ROTFL :RollLol:
     
  13. unkle

    unkle New Member

    So I visited furtados for few minutes yesterday, they didnt have the cub 10, i tried the vox and the cub 12r, the laney sure had something going, so i was about to spring up for the cub 12...then i am thinking if i have to spend around 20k i might as well get the BE3 solution 15 with a 1X12 greenback, i mean i would have to upgrade the driver in the laney down the road anyways.

    guys talk to me about BE3 amps...pretty please here
     
  14. rickkkyrich

    rickkkyrich Guest

    The BE3 Solution 18 live with greenback will cost you around 30k. Go for it if you have a budget. You can customize it also according to your need.
     
  15. unkle

    unkle New Member

    So today i got a call from furtados that the laney cub 10 is in stock but i think my mind is already made up for the be3 solution 18 with greenback...didnt realise that the build time is 2 weeks, i thought only custom orders had a waiting time.....but hell 2 weeks should pass somehow..i think i will take my bike apart and put it back together.

    any mods suggestions for the solution 18? since it will take 2 weeks to build , i will also be doing a firefly (ax84)type a do it all type amp is not needed.
     
  16. rickkkyrich

    rickkkyrich Guest

    Being hand built, his amps deserves all the time ansar asks for...btw Why are you opting for the greenback.. why not a Vintage 30.. or maybe a blues or any other driver?
     
  17. deepsal

    deepsal New Member

    4/8/16 ohms selector
    active eq(all of his amps have passive eq)
    footswitchable effects loop
    emulated record out
    built in power autteunator
    independent eq's for each channel
    ask him to take 3 20w resistors arted at lets say 16 ohms wire them in parallel and place it after the ot and place a switch to toggle it
    not going in the technical aspect of it,with this you'l be able to use your amp without cabs you can plug a headphone directly into the effects return and play Late at night
    for more information google dummy load for amps also ask him to make you a ts9 tubescreamer pedal for 3k To overdrive the toobz
     
  18. thehundredthone

    thehundredthone Well-Known Member

    The Solution 18 Live already has independent per channel EQ and 4/8/16 ohm outs.

    I would say instead of an attenuator, use some form of power scaling instead (VVR, London power scaling etc.). Helps a lot if you want to drive the power tubes at low volumes. That is, if you want this functionality.

    And I think Ansar knows what a dummy load for line out is.
     
  19. deepsal

    deepsal New Member

    also ask him to bias the amp as hot as possible the amp will give you super warm and thick tones but the tubes will die fast
     
  20. unkle

    unkle New Member

    Ricky, the blue would be perfect for the 18 watter but then i am sure they will push the price up ( i was here buying a cub10 )
    Ansar doesn't have vintage 30 in stock, since i am more after a bluesy tone i think greenback will suit me fine , also they are only 25 watts
    (?) so maybe with i will have a better chance of driving them to breakup with another amp.

    Deepsal
    thanks for the suggestions man, right now i am not opting for much mods as i have a limited budget, plus i have a few other amps in mind that i will be building so its better if i keep the cost down, i kinda like passive eqs and instead of the dummy load i have emailed ansar about the VVR as thehundrethone is suggesting, playing thru headphones is not an issue as i have a lil project studio and i could just mic the amp in a booth and hear it on my monitors/headphones...as for the pedal...hmmmmmmmm...i am thinking of diying tons of those! and thanks for the biasing tip that sounds good

    THO thanks for the suggestion man!

    i am also getting a epiphone valve junior head from a fellow forum member so looking forward to modding things up.
    once again i really appreciate the suggestions or else i would have just bought the champ 600 as that was the only thing i saw.
     

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