18 to 30 watt amp fever (tube amp content)

[Tone2TheBone]

Lately I've been really sinning over wanting one of the new low watt tube amps from companies like Greer, Dr. Z., Winfield etc. I know this is getting into the handwired boutique territory but the sound of these low wattage amps cranked up is sweeeeet-uh. I've got a 50 watt Marshall Jubilee (all tube) and although it's got rippin' butt cosmic ultra gain stage...there's nothing like the simplicity of naturally overdriven power amp tubes at reasonable sound levels. I'm not talking overdrive pedal sound...I'm talking sweet EL84 drive and luscious tone and bite. To get a similar sound from my amp would mean me playing alone at home, standing in the next room blah blah blah. It isn't the same. Besides the Jube is pushing the bigger bottle EL34s which are totally different. Anyone else have a sweet tooth for these babies?

[tot_Ou_tard]

You betcha!

[Tone2TheBone]

You betcha!

......and?

[duhvoodooman***]

Anyone else have a sweet tooth for these babies?

That's why there's a Peavey Delta Blues with my name on it on a UPS truck somewhere between here and IL tonight!

[tot_Ou_tard]

......and?

At some point I will ruin my teeth with such a binge...but for now I am only "sinning in my mind".

[Robert****]

I'd like a Dr. Z Maz Junior - 18 watts. Sounds amaaaaaaaaazing!

[duhvoodooman***]

...but for now I am only "sinning in my mind".

You've looked upon tube amps "with lust in your heart", eh? Watch out--Jimmy Carter got in a lot of trouble for something similar!

Sorry, I keep spelling "amph" wrong....

[warren0728]

a 15-20 watt tube amp is in my future....i don't know if i can go the boutique route but a blues jr or a traynor or even a peavey valve king would be nice.

ww

[tot_Ou_tard]

Has anyone heard the Stagehog?

http://www.stephensonamps.com/stagehog.htm

1 watt!

Or the ZVEX nanohead?

http://zvexamps.com/amp_view.html

1/2 Watt!

Of course one would need a cab as well as paying boutique prices.

If you want a 1 watt combo then maybe the Siegmund Muddy Buddy is your buddy

http://www.siegmundguitars.com/muddybuddy.html

we don't need no stinking watts!

[tot_Ou_tard]

What is the price of the Dr Z Maz Junior?

[tot_Ou_tard]

But ya know that one of the nice things about this forum is all the cheapskates!

Some corners of the net are driven by GAS hyperinflation!

Still....I wouldn't mind a nice boutique amp...

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

TONE , i guess it really depends on your budget, .. but the boutique amps are all amp builders trying to capture the old tones that leo had in the 50's and 60's ( a quick nod to jim marshall as well ) a blackface deluxe reverb 64-67 is a absolute killer 20 watt amp and the silverface 68 thru the early 70's has the same circuit.. they are getting expensive though , a princeton reverb has ton o tone for 10 watts .. the late 60's to early 70's traynor ygm-3 guitar mate reverb is a jem of a 18 watt 2 el84 tone monster and still available for 350-550 on eaby from time to time , you pop a celestion vintage 30 in theat traynor and you have early vox and marshall tones galore , i know i have one , vintage and cheap ... just my 2 cents ..6s9l

[tot_Ou_tard]

You've looked upon tube amps "with lust in your heart", eh? Watch out--Jimmy Carter got in a lot of trouble for something similar!

Sorry, I keep spelling "amph" wrong....

Just look out for my amph lust confession in

"AmpBoy: the magazine with GAS"

Woooweee lookit that centerfold of a Dr Z in this months issue!

Excuse me a minute....er ah...I've gotta go plug my guitar into my amp and noodle around for a bit.....

....or is that called jamming?

-Jimmy

[tot_Ou_tard]

TONE , i guess it really depends on your budget, .. but the boutique amps are all amp builders trying to capture the old tones that leo had in the 50's and 60's ( a quick nod to jim marshall as well ) a blackface deluxe reverb 64-67 is a absolute killer 20 watt amp and the silverface 68 thru the early 70's has the same circuit.. they are getting expensive though , a princeton reverb has ton o tone for 10 watts .. the late 60's to early 70's traynor ygm-3 guitar mate reverb is a jem of a 18 watt 2 el84 tone monster and still available for 350-550 on eaby from time to time , you pop a celestion vintage 30 in theat traynor and you have early vox and marshall tones galore , i know i have one , vintage and cheap ... just my 2 cents ..6s9l

I for one would love to hear more about inexpensive low wattage tube amps with killer tone.

[Tone2TheBone]

6S9L - Oh yeah I mustn't forget about the Deluxe reverbs, but you're right I've seen them on Ebay for quite a bit of money. Still...it would be sweet to have one being that it's a Fender...especially one in decent condition. Your other suggestions lead me to believe that I need to pick you up, sip some brews somewhere and then go buy an amph one day. You are in the KNOW buddy.

My model 2558 Jubilee has a triode/pentode rocker switch which enables the amph to run at half the power (ie from 50 watts down to 25 watts - in theory). It doesn't reduce the volume output in half as you would think but then again I'm running the amp power to 25 watts which only means I'm halving the power, not the volume...all you audio pros would know more about this than me. Anyway when engaged the amp takes on a smoother tone...very brown. When in hi output the sound is a tad louder...raunchy and brighter. Lately I've been running the Jube at low power off the combo instead of running the 4x12 cab because someone here got me into the "Beano" mode. I've been beano'ing it pretty good lately with my LP and SE so...I got that going for me. I guess I just want more than I have. LMAO Still a sweet little "lower" power amph would be a nice addition to have. I could play my Eb tuned guitars through it and have that be the Eb tuned amph yeah that's it!

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

Tone the 2558 is a great piece , correct me if i'm wrong but doesn't it have two el-34's , and 3 ecc83's , that is a magical combination , classic marshall nuts ...maybe a princeton reverb or a vibro champ would quell those low power longings , the vibro champ or champ takes pedals with the best of em and the tremelo on a blackface vc is as good as it gets ... yeah you get the suds and i'll go shoppin , you bet .. vintage tube amps are bad candy .. one or two is never enough ... i bet you could find a nice bf vibro in your neck of the woods for under 450.00 .. it gotta have all the original transformers and circuitry and speaker for that money though .at bedroom levels its amazing .. i record with champs alot and never tire of its versatility and tone .. layla was recorded with a tweed champ , must be something to it ...you can borrow one of mine if i can borrow your 2558...6S9L

[Tone2TheBone]

Yup you know your amphs. The 2558 does indeed have 3 ECC83s(3-12AX7s - all GTs) and 2 hellacious EL34s (matched set of Groove Tubes rated at 4). *thumbs up* You can borrow it anytime you want. What with all your amphs and mine we'd make great neighbors my friend.

[Bloozcat]

I've settled on two amps for my lower to moderate volume range. I have a blond Crate Vintage Club 30, and a Crate Vintage Club 20-112R.

These two amps cover all of the tonal territory I was looking for from a Fender-like clean (VC 30) up to a Marshall-like grind. As the amps come with their compliment of Sovtek tubes and their Emminence made GB12 speakers, the amps sound pretty darn good. But that's just the beginning. These amps respond very well to tube and speaker upgrades...especially NOS tubes and Celestion speakers. I'm currently running an Avatar Hellatone 30 in the VC20 (which is a "broken in" G12H30 Celestion), and some NOS Russian Mil. 7189's (EL84M) for output tubes. For pre-amp I have a GE NOS 5751 in V-1, a BEL NOS 12AX7 in V-2, and a GE NOS 12AX7WA in V-3. This amp, and this combination of tubes does a warm, early break-up very well. It's not as good in the clean headroom department as the VC30, although at lower practice volume levels it sounds terrific. I can use this amp as a reasonably low volume practice amp, getting some nice OD tones without waking the dead.

The VC30 still has it's stock GB12, but I usually run it through a 2X12 cab loaded with Celestion G12H30's. The tube compliment consists of 4-Polam/Telam NOS EL84's, a GE NOS 5751 in V-1, an RCA NOS 12AX7A in V-2, and GE NOS 12AX7WA's in V-3 & V-4. With this combination I can get that warm, clear Fender-like tone on channel one, up to a nice warm output tube driven bluesy grind. Channel two will do a grittier blues tone up to Plexi-like OD for classic to hard rock. This amp will hang with a band on stage, and will cut through the mix even with a loud drummer (especially with the 2X12 cab attached). And of course, if more volume is needed it can be miked through the PA.

For years Crates have been looked down upon for lousy tone and poor reliability. This is because of the reputation Crate earned by turning out really crappy solid state amps. The Vintage Club tube amps are an entirely different animal, and for those who've discovered this, it's a world filled with great bang-for-the-buck tone.

As a side note: I also have an Epiphone Valve Jr. head coming in this week. With it's 5 watts of single ended class A tube tone, it'll be the perfect compliment to my 15 & 30 watt Crates. I'm betting that little Jr. will sound pretty awesome through those Celestions too. The addition of the Valve Junior head has prompted me to draw up some plans for a head cabinet to convert my VC30 combo to a head only to use exclusively with the 2X12 cab.

This constant modding is a disease I tell you...

[Spudman***]

blooz
I have the VC 50 212. Love that amp. I actually like the speakers in it myself. I'm getting an Ear Candy Soverign cabinet to go with all my tube amps. It will be interesting to hear what an awesome cabinet will do for the Vintage Club 50 and the other amps as well.