Amps !? What am I doing here ?

[Rayk]

I think I’m lost !
Well GAS has setting in hard the dang thing is it’s all over the place ! So amps yeah . Been a while since I have played electric but I still want to make noise . I have a Bugera v50w Infinium not used it a lot but I don’t know. Clean channel sounds pretty good, lead I’m undecided .
I’m not sure if I’ll play with anyone again so I over all wattage is not high on the list which I’m sure my neighbors appreciate. lol

So yeah more gain ! (Insert evil laugh here ). Enter the 20 watt mini heads ! I have Joyo zombie fun little thing loud to but it’s one 12ax7 or whatever in it .

I always wanted a Mesa Boogie I love those things . So after looking , reading and listening to about ever review vid I can find one cute little things Mesa was in the lead but the clean/ rhythm channel was not hitting my ear right . Price also comes into play .

I been more into 6l6 power tubes over EL34’s most of the mini heads come with EL34’s so when the PRS Mark Tremonti MT 15 15w tube amp popped up and comparison along side of other like wattage amps and some of their bigger higher wattage brothers this thing to me hits the mark .

So as of the moment this is my top choice tonally.

Have any of you ventured into the mini amp head territory?

Oh forgot one thing it seems to lack is recording options .

 

[JohnW63]

I've looked for amps that have a power switch for quite some time, now. I don't play for audiences, at this stage. Carvin Vintage 16 is one amp I own, and the Roland Blues cube stage ( It came with the Robbin Ford "tone capsule" ). Yes it's all digital, but has a clean and not so clean channel and power dial to go from low to not so low to loud and darn loud settings. It also has a direct out to record to your computer. At was a good deal from Reverb at $500.
Roland Blues Cube Stage

 

[GAD]

Power tubes don’t have the tonal impact people think they do.

What do you want from this amp? Creamy thick distortion? Lots of cleans? Good gritty crunch?

For decades I wanted one amp to do it all which is how I ended up with the AxeFX. No amp does it all. Big complex multi-channel amps can do a lot, but they still tend to sound a certain way.

Marshall’s sound like Marshalls, Fenders sound like Fenders, and so-on. There’s some bleed-over, but if you want that Orange amp sound you pretty much need an Orange amp.

As for Mesa, I wanted one forever but I wouldn’t buy a modern one. An old IIc would be fun, though.

As much as I resisted it I find myself with a house full of amps. Most are Guilds and the rest I built, and they’re all different. You gotta know what you’re chasing before you choose an amp.

 

[Rayk]

Power tubes don’t have the tonal impact people think they do.

What do you want from this amp? Creamy thick distortion? Lots of cleans? Good gritty crunch?

For decades I wanted one amp to do it all which is how I ended up with the AxeFX. No amp does it all. Big complex multi-channel amps can do a lot, but they still tend to sound a certain way.

Marshall’s sound like Marshalls, Fenders sound like Fenders, and so-on. There’s some bleed-over, but if you want that Orange amp sound you pretty much need an Orange amp.

As for Mesa, I wanted one forever but I wouldn’t buy a modern one. An old IIc would be fun, though.

As much as I resisted it I find myself with a house full of amps. Most are Guilds and the rest I built, and they’re all different. You gotta know what you’re chasing before you choose an amp.

Yeah agree there’s no real do all . I always liked the mesa sound but I never owned one just been around a few mostly their gain/ chug is what I liked . Don’t recall to much about their clean side . So I relied on vids like most all .

An old roomie had an old orange head darn thing sounded great I’m sure they carry a hefty price tag being vintage . In the newer mini head sizes they don’t do anything for me.

I want a nice high gain for my limited solo abilities that’s smooth if that’s a term that can be used ? Clean that clear well rounded yet can offer a bit of sparkle .

I’m definitely not an amp pro and not interested in becoming one . Another old back in the 70’s had a Peavey Mace stack when the Maces had a parallel channel I believe it was actually a 3 channel head if i remember right ? Gosh that thing sounded great .lol I was young then . Hahaha

Anyway I went through a few amps over the years but nothing really hit home . So all I can really do is listen to samples then see if I can try one some where . The PRS seemed to my ears to meet my requirements. I fully understand that there’s good chance it won’t sound like what heard lol but that always the case .

In my simplest terms good gain, somewhat sparkly /warm cleans , clarity seems to fit .

I also like the peavey 6505 but the cleans and control knobs were not the greatest kind of sloppy on fine settings . What was great was the recording options usb and xlr out speaker emulation though my Jet city had xlr out it really didn’t sound that great in my DAW .

I’ve used sims also with ok results also the Behringer v-amp haha but I hope to get that tube sound .

Only thing I hear on the tube side is that the 6l6’s don’t break up as easy as the EL34’s maybe more headroom ? I don’t know . lol

Anyway got to plug up into some thing and just see if it hits the mark . I may buy another electric guitar as I’m on the fence of changing out the pots on my 79 Gib The Paul which I believe were made with 250k pots instead of 500k .

I still be looking into other amps if there’s any I missed ? I’m not rushing this .

 

[GAD]

Peavey 6505! That's some high-gain stuff! That's the original Eddie Van Halen Not-a-Marshall amp! That's some big iron, too. If you like that sound then the little boxes might not be doing it for you because you're missing out on those big transformers.

Most of what people hear as "power tube breakup" is likely the inverter tube breaking up. The whole purpose of a power tube is clean increase in power. I recently got a Fryette PS100 Power Station to tame my Garshall. It has two 6550 tubes in it as an amplifier that lets you either attenuate a loud amp or amplify a small amp. I can take my little Tweed Champ, plug it into the PS100 and I get 100W of the same tone that the little Champ is known for through my 4x12 cabinet. If the power tubes were distorting, then that wouldn't be possible. The Power Station also has an effects loop and a line-out which makes it an awesome addition to an amp like the Garshal which is based on an early '80s design.

Amps have different designs and those different designs make farm more impact on tone than the change in tubes does. Things like negative feedback (presence), location of the tone stack in the circuit, the design of the tone stack, and even the bias circuit can and do have huge impacts on tone.

Back to tone, if you could name a song or album with the tone you're after, what would it be?

 

[Rocky]

Power tubes don’t have the tonal impact people think they do.

This is 100% true. People ascribe all sorts of tonal differences to the types of tubes, when they retrofit tubes mismatched to the original amp design when it's actually the mismatch that's making the difference.

 

[jp]

Hey there, Rayk -

I had (3) Mesa Boogie DC-5s both in head and combo form. This model runs 6L6s and has exceptional clean tones. It's incredibly versatile with two completely different channels with independent EQs and gains. It also has an effects loop and the classic MB graphic EQ. Because it has a Volume/Gain setup, you can get bedroom volumes for playing, or you can peel the paint off your walls with 50, efficient and blasting Mesa Boogie watts. One of my all-time favorite amps.

I'm always on the hunt for a do-it-all tube amp, and I'm itching to try out one of the Revv amps. I've seen some pretty strong endorsements that the D20 gets close. All the videos I've seen are also pretty convincing. Granted it, it runs 6V6s instead of 6L6s, but it can do a lot. Check out some youtube vids. It's pretty amazing.

 

[Rayk]

Hey there, Rayk -

I had (3) Mesa Boogie DC-5s both in head and combo form. This model runs 6L6s and has an exceptional clean tones. It's incredibly versatile with two completely different channels with independent EQs and gains. It also has an effects loop and the classic MB graphic EQ. Because it has a Volume/Gain setup, you can get bedroom volumes for playing, or you can peel the paint off your walls with 50, efficient and blasting Mesa Boogie watts. One of my all-time favorite amps.

I've always on the hunt for a do-it-all tube amp, and I'm itching to try out one of the Revv amps. I've seen some pretty strong endorsements that the D20 gets close. All the videos I've seen are also pretty convincing. Granted it, it runs 6V6s instead of 6L6s, but it can do a lot. Check out some youtube vids. It's pretty amazing.

I think one review had a Rev in it. Though I honestly can’t remember all of them lol

 

[Rayk]

Peavey 6505! That's some high-gain stuff! That's the original Eddie Van Halen Not-a-Marshall amp! That's some big iron, too. If you like that sound then the little boxes might not be doing it for you because you're missing out on those big transformers.

Most of what people hear as "power tube breakup" is likely the inverter tube breaking up. The whole purpose of a power tube is clean increase in power. I recently got a Fryette PS100 Power Station to tame my Garshall. It has two 6550 tubes in it as an amplifier that lets you either attenuate a loud amp or amplify a small amp. I can take my little Tweed Champ, plug it into the PS100 and I get 100W of the same tone that the little Champ is known for through my 4x12 cabinet. If the power tubes were distorting, then that wouldn't be possible. The Power Station also has an effects loop and a line-out which makes it an awesome addition to an amp like the Garshal which is based on an early '80s design.

Amps have different designs and those different designs make farm more impact on tone than the change in tubes does. Things like negative feedback (presence), location of the tone stack in the circuit, the design of the tone stack, and even the bias circuit can and do have huge impacts on tone.

Back to tone, if you could name a song or album with the tone you're after, what would it be?

I love you man ! Haha
On what tone ? Well you what king of enigma I am . lol
I really don't really want to copy anyone’s tone per se more so just want something that makes me smile and of course making sure I can that into my DAW ! lol

 

[Rayk]

So there’s tons of vids I just picked out this one because it coved a few different amps . I’ll through in some others for kicks and giggles .







The Blackstar sounded good also but like the Mesa boogie price jumps from 800 to 1,400 . Another thing or one thing I like about the oeavey 6505 was the outs for recording but I mentioned I think I have no idea how well it’s tone will work through the outs I assume it should true to form using the USB out versus emulator.

They other thing with peavy which I’m sure there’s faults with these other amps is that the sensitivity on gain and possibly other controls is not there and also for some reason Peavy put a chip or something like a Pi in the gain circuit between the tube . So some say it doesn’t sound good fully cranked up .

Some complains on the PRS are is the self noise. I have to look more into that but I thing in most of these vids everyone is using a noise gate .

 

[Rayk]

Hey there, Rayk -

I had (3) Mesa Boogie DC-5s both in head and combo form. This model runs 6L6s and has an exceptional clean tones. It's incredibly versatile with two completely different channels with independent EQs and gains. It also has an effects loop and the classic MB graphic EQ. Because it has a Volume/Gain setup, you can get bedroom volumes for playing, or you can peel the paint off your walls with 50, efficient and blasting Mesa Boogie watts. One of my all-time favorite amps.

I've always on the hunt for a do-it-all tube amp, and I'm itching to try out one of the Revv amps. I've seen some pretty strong endorsements that the D20 gets close. All the videos I've seen are also pretty convincing. Granted it, it runs 6V6s instead of 6L6s, but it can do a lot. Check out some youtube vids. It's pretty amazing.

Rev sounds nice but I need more ugly . lol a doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde type thing .

 

[GAD]

I love you man ! Haha
On what tone ? Well you what king of enigma I am . lol
I really don't really want to copy anyone’s tone per se more so just want something that makes me smile and of course making sure I can that into my DAW ! lol

You don’t have to copy someone’s tone but if you’re looking for 7-string chug that’s a different thing than ‘80s hair band which is different than ‘70s metal which is all different from EVH - and even his amp tone changed a lot from the early days to “modern Eddie”. To make it all worse, each of those genres have different sounds within them, but they’re a good place to start.

If you like the 6506, though, then I’d say that’s a good indication of what you're after. There are versions of it, and the modern EVH amps are pretty well regarded in a similar vein.

 

[jp]

Rev sounds nice but I need more ugly . lol a doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde type thing .

Haha! I understand. Don't discount the older Mesa Boogie -- it'll rip your face off if you're not careful. When I sold my combo version to a guy on CL, he asked to crank it when testing it out. When he did, he screamed OMG with a terrified look on his face, but I couldn't hear a word he said. :C)

I used to see them on CL for $600-800 all day long, but they're a little pricier nowadays.

 

[Rayk]

You don’t have to copy someone’s tone but if you’re looking for 7-string chug that’s a different thing than ‘80s hair band which is different than ‘70s metal which is all different from EVH - and even his amp tone changed a lot from the early days to “modern Eddie”. To make it all worse, each of those genres have different sounds within them, but they’re a good place to start.

If you like the 6506, though, then I’d say that’s a good indication of what you're after. There are versions of it, and the modern EVH amps are pretty well regarded in a similar vein.

I like the PRS . I feel the clean channel is better . Peavey has the record options for sure but if the sensitivity of knob control stinks then it’s a fight to dial in the details . Also I’m turned off having pc chips running in the tube line of an all tube amp . The peavey also is said to fall apart at full volumes but I will go back and look over the info again .

Honestly it would be a weird choice between the PRS , Mesa 25 and the peavey . If the mesa cost as much as the Blackstar I could lean that way as it 50 watts . lol if I remember right it’s around 1,600 . I really don’t want to spend that much mostly because I’m not sure I’d dedicate more time electric over the acoustic playing .

Ok back to researching ! lol
I’ll fill you in what ends up my top choice .

Thanks folks !

 

[Midnight Toker]

My brother has the PRS MT15. Don't let the 15 watt moniker fool you. That thing is a beast. Side by side it can easily hold volume w/ a 40-50 watter. Best part is having 3 output settings on the back. Like 5 watt and 1.5 watts or something.

 

[Rayk]

Haha! I understand. Don't discount the older Mesa Boogie -- it'll rip your face off if you're not careful. When I sold my combo version to a guy on CL, he asked to crank it when testing it out. When he did, he screamed OMG with a terrified look on his face, but I couldn't hear a word he said. :C)

I used to see them on CL for $600-800 all day long, but they're a little pricier nowadays.

From what see about 850 and up . Thing is I’m not sure I want a combo.

 

[AcornHouse]

Check out the Vox Night Train series.

 

[Midnight Toker]

One of my fav low watt amps is my Marshall Class 5. A Brit made 5 watt early Marshall plexi clone. Zero frills. Just vol, hi/mid/low knobs and that’s it. Turned up to about 6, you get that great classic clean rasp when playing lightly, and if you dig in, it gets nice and dirty. Also takes pedals very well. They only made them for a short while and have def gone up from their original price in the used market. Comes in a head/cab or combo. I have the head w/ the matching 10” cab, but have since bought a Supro Black Magik 12” which I use full time. That coupled w/ my 56 Champ in my 2 amp rig is tone heaven.

 

[GGJaguar]

Epiphone Valve Junior and Valve Senior.

 

[jp]

From what see about 850 and up . Thing is I’m not sure I want a combo.

They come in heads too.