• Registered: 2011-08-24
  • Posts: 14

Topic: low wattage amp advice

hey guys new to forum, long time joe supporter and looking forward to the new cd with beth

I bought at the end of last year the new line 6 hd500 and dt50 2x12 amp. They are great recording devices
and actually sound pretty good. But.... it lacks some of the special quality that a really good tube amp provides
at least using the digital end. The amp can be used with a digital preamp and all tube back end, but to get
those tubes cooking in the 50 watt is really really really loud, I swear this thing is as loud or louder then my
100watt carvin tub head was through a 4x12.
So that leaves me with trying out a attenuator, which i have never used before. Or buying a smaller tube amp. Economically
speaking the attenuator is the easiest way to go, assuming it works. However tone aside the number of options the L6 combo
provides is mindboggling and to be honest leaves me tweaking 60% of the time and playing 40%.

Needless to say I want to be playing 80% at least and do my tweaking when I want to record. I play mostly in my 15x20 jam area and play out in small venues ~200people, I am playing with drummer, bass and 1 other guitarist. I saw Joe's comment on amp suggestions $1000 amps, but most of those were 50 watt and up, Idon't think any were 20 watt or so. I want to find an amp that would sound good at practice as well as handle the small venues, of course mic'ing is an option if a pa is present (not always). basically the tones I would be attempting to get would be ranging from tom petty folk rock, the black keys and joe bonamassa style blues and foo fighters rock. no country, metal, european pop rock or hard rock

So I was hoping for a few more suggestions. I contacted proguitarshop as they have a fantastic site and the best demos around, but almost all boutique gear. This was there suggestion:
The amp will be an issue though as a good amp to accomplish what you are looking to do usually starts at $2000.  That being said a stereo pair of Humboldt Hot Rods might be a more manageable way to achieve the tones and output power you are looking for.  As for amps a Carr Rambler would be superb as would a 3 Monkeys Orangoutang

Oh my main guitars is a chambered LP and a dBZ Imperial
appreciate any suggestions,
btw you can check out a couple of my originals if you like here: http://www.macjams.com/artist/JBurns

  • From: York, PA
  • Registered: 2010-08-27
  • Posts: 1,749

Re: low wattage amp advice

I could suggest a hand full of low watters, but really anything 15-20w head will work for you as far as volume.  Plan on micing for shows, it just helps keep things more even..  But not entirely necessary.

I'd also say a decent 2x12 would be a good choice not only for size if thats an issue, but also for volume and tone.  A 2x12 will give you a good amount of stage volume and just looks cool.  Plus it will thump a bit better than a single 12" speaker.

Theres a lot of good stuff out there and with the crap load of pedals on the market you can get any sound almost from any amp now.

3 Reply by havoc41 (edited by havoc41 2011-08-27 08:28:01)

  • From: NH - USA
  • Registered: 2010-11-08
  • Posts: 149

Re: low wattage amp advice

A Low Watt amp for similar applications is something i'm considering right now as well. I have a Swart Space Tone w/Reverb at 5W that is very bright and loves single coils, great amp, does the tweed thing extremely well and it does get pretty loud but it would be pushing it to use it for full on small to mid sized gig's with a drummer hammering away, you'd likely have to mic it.

Like you i'm interested in something portable that can to a bit more from a power perspective and also fits tonally between (or with) my Swart and Splawn QR.... what i have on my radar right now is the Reeves Custom 12 and the Dr Z Monza, similar price point and very distinct tone to both. I've also considered an old DSL 40 watt combo for about half the cost.

I find that the tough thing is there is no way to try these boutique amps with the guitars you own before you put your money on the table... Reeves does offer a 10 day exchange so that helps...

In any case good hunting.

Rich

havoc41's Website

  • Registered: 2011-08-24
  • Posts: 14

Re: low wattage amp advice

I'd also say a decent 2x12 would be a good choice not only for size if thats an issue, but also for volume and tone.  A 2x12 will give you a good amount of stage volume and just looks cool.  Plus it will thump a bit better than a single 12

  • Registered: 2011-08-24
  • Posts: 14

Re: low wattage amp advice

havoc41 wrote:

A Low Watt amp for similar applications is something i'm considering right now as well. I have a Swart Space Tone w/Reverb at 5W that is very bright and loves single coils, great amp, does the tweed thing extremely well and it does get pretty loud but it would be pushing it to use it for full on small to mid sized gig's with a drummer hammering away, you'd likely have to mic it.

Like you i'm interested in something portable that can to a bit more from a power perspective and also fits tonally between (or with) my Swart and Splawn QR.... what i have on my radar right now is the Reeves Custom 12 and the Dr Z Monza, similar price point and very distinct tone to both. I've also considered an old DSL 40 watt combo for about half the cost.

I find that the tough thing is there is no way to try these boutique amps with the guitars you own before you put your money on the table... Reeves does offer a 10 day exchange so that helps...

In any case good hunting.

Rich



Funny I was just looking at the reeves custom 12 last night. I thought it had a really good sound very versatile and probably not any better than the 2500 buck amps like carr. but then again without playing i wouldn't know. I know reeves has some $2000 amps as well. But the 12 is more in my range price wise, odd thing it never actually says wattage but i am assuming its 12 watts?

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: low wattage amp advice

Tom Petty uses Vox a lot as well as vintage Fenders.  If I were you I would look for about 15 to 30 watt amps.

Vox offers AC15, which I think would be my choice if I were you.  They run around $600.  You could go with a Night Train which sorta sounds like a vox but not as good as the AC15 IMHO.  They also have the AC30 but thats a really loud amp.  For that matter the AC15 is loud as well.

Fender offers the Deluxe Reverb which is about 22 watts of power.  Those are fantstic amps.  Also fender offers the Prenston whis I believe is 15 watts, the blues Jr. is 15 watts, and the Pro jr is 15 watts into a smaller 10" speaker. 

Mesa Boogie has the Trans Atlantic which is a very versital head that is capable of 6 sounds which can cover the Fender sounds and the Vox sounds as well as having the Mesa Boogie dual Recto sounds as well.  very cool amp for 15 watts.

Egnater has the Tweaker which isn't as versital as the Mesa but more so then the Fender or the Vox.  You can get very good tones out of this and its half the price of the Mesa.  One thing I must say though is if you want a fender sound get a fender amp, if its a vox sound you want get a vox, and if its a Marshall sound you want go Marshall.  All these amps will do a good job at getting you close to the tones of the others but Fender clean only comes from Fender.  And Vox Top boost is only done right by vox.  Just amp tones the vox and the Fender will cover more ground then a marshall but you can't get that crunch from a marshall with a vox.  Everything will get very close but until you sat right in front of an amp or a bunch of amps its hard to tell what I'm talking about here.  I am a fender guy and I would tell you my vote is either the Fender or the Mesa.  I play a blues Jr that I modded that sounds fantastic now.

AD3THREE's Website

  • Registered: 2011-08-24
  • Posts: 14

Re: low wattage amp advice

AD3THREE wrote:

Tom Petty uses Vox a lot as well as vintage Fenders.  If I were you I would look for about 15 to 30 watt amps.

Vox offers AC15, which I think would be my choice if I were you.  They run around $600.  You could go with a Night Train which sorta sounds like a vox but not as good as the AC15 IMHO.  They also have the AC30 but thats a really loud amp.  For that matter the AC15 is loud as well.

Fender offers the Deluxe Reverb which is about 22 watts of power.  Those are fantstic amps.  Also fender offers the Prenston whis I believe is 15 watts, the blues Jr. is 15 watts, and the Pro jr is 15 watts into a smaller 10" speaker. 

Mesa Boogie has the Trans Atlantic which is a very versital head that is capable of 6 sounds which can cover the Fender sounds and the Vox sounds as well as having the Mesa Boogie dual Recto sounds as well.  very cool amp for 15 watts.

Egnater has the Tweaker which isn't as versital as the Mesa but more so then the Fender or the Vox.  You can get very good tones out of this and its half the price of the Mesa.  One thing I must say though is if you want a fender sound get a fender amp, if its a vox sound you want get a vox, and if its a Marshall sound you want go Marshall.  All these amps will do a good job at getting you close to the tones of the others but Fender clean only comes from Fender.  And Vox Top boost is only done right by vox.  Just amp tones the vox and the Fender will cover more ground then a marshall but you can't get that crunch from a marshall with a vox.  Everything will get very close but until you sat right in front of an amp or a bunch of amps its hard to tell what I'm talking about here.  I am a fender guy and I would tell you my vote is either the Fender or the Mesa.  I play a blues Jr that I modded that sounds fantastic now.


Hey thanks for the suggestions. Off the bat I am interested in the deluxe reverb to get a clean which is starting to break up and add an OD to get the rest of the tone. The blues jr. humbolt hot rod is pretty cool very cool actually but i'd need 2 to get the volume http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nya1G2LD26A
but i will check out the mesa asap. unfortunately the guitar center here kinda blows and you can never seem to walk into the place where some kid isn't plugged into a half stack blaring away some metal licks and you can't hear yourself think much less hear a low watt amp sing.

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: low wattage amp advice

LOL I know what you mean.  I decided about 2 years ago not to even bother going unless it was a weekday during school hours!  At least the ones in Charlotte have what I call the Loud room where you can drag it in a room and really crank the heck out of it.  Problem with that room is you end up buying it.

AD3THREE's Website

  • Registered: 2011-08-29
  • Posts: 267

Re: low wattage amp advice

Not knowing your budget I'd recommend the following:

Magic Brit MKII (~18 watts of voxy goodness)
Swart Atomic Space Tone Pro....it kills and is very portable.
Rivera era super champ (killer amps)
Vintage blackface Deluxe (non reverb)...probably one of the most underrated amps and can be had at a reasonable price.


All of the above take pedals really well.

Oasis.Guitar's Website

  • Registered: 2011-08-24
  • Posts: 14

Re: low wattage amp advice

I am looking in the $1000 and under range right now I have seen some great stuff since i started looking but most have been higher priced... .also since what I am striving for is mainly a really clean warm amp I don't need to pay for an amp with a great natural distortion sound. I would rather have a few effects and shape my tone from there even though i'll pay more effect wise where I could be spending it on the amp... the main reason for that is most of the amps i have been looking at are one channel and i can't be running to the amp between songs all the time. I have spent the last 10 years using line 6 stuff and have had my fill of tweaking constantly. Not that a bit goes with every rig.
fyi i love this pedal's demo sounds http://www.xotic.us/effects/ac_plus/index.html
i think it would be a good fit, for my songs with the right amp.

thanks for the suggestions guys, I like the mesa/boogie transatlantic and mini recto stuff to lots of range there might be good for recording to have those other tonal options but again looks like some major tweaking if you use more than one or two sounds. the reed amp looks very nice but again one channel for drive and clean plus at 12 watts (for my price range) might not be heard in the mix as well as needed.

  • Registered: 2011-08-24
  • Posts: 14

Re: low wattage amp advice

JB1973 wrote:

I am looking in the $1000 and under range right now I have seen some great stuff since i started looking but most have been higher priced... .also since what I am striving for is mainly a really clean warm amp I don't need to pay for an amp with a great natural distortion sound. I would rather have a few effects and shape my tone from there even though i'll pay more effect wise where I could be spending it on the amp... the main reason for that is most of the amps i have been looking at are one channel and i can't be running to the amp between songs all the time. I have spent the last 10 years using line 6 stuff and have had my fill of tweaking constantly. Not that a bit goes with every rig.
fyi i love this pedal's demo sounds http://www.xotic.us/effects/ac_plus/index.html
i think it would be a good fit, for my songs with the right amp.

thanks for the suggestions guys, I like the mesa/boogie transatlantic and mini recto stuff to lots of range there might be good for recording to have those other tonal options but again looks like some major tweaking if you use more than one or two sounds. the reed amp looks very nice but again one channel for drive and clean plus at 12 watts (for my price range) might not be heard in the mix as well as needed.



well i ended up splurging and got a mesa boogie transatlantic ta30 1x12 combo, it sounds really good however is still a loud amp the overdrive channel can sound good on 15 watt option but to me the clean needs 30 watt power to have the headroom.
since i spent so much on the amp now I have less to spend on effects I bought a used xotic ac plus which is a decent overdrive but better booster imo. I also bought a digitech hardwire delay/looper which suits my limited needs I really wanted a looper again for fiddling at home. I have been trying to pick out a chorus and wah pedal don't think i'll need much else very often. It has been suggested to me to consider a line 6 m9 or m13 pedal to cover whatever else I may want. I know joe uses/used a line 6 delay pedal as do many pro's but there is a difference between the stand alone and the multi. I hated the effects on my hd500 when i had it but that was mainly distortions and the hd500 is not true bypass and was tone sucking hard as can be. Anyway if I got the m9 or whatever i might as well send back the hardwire delay i guess....
I was trying to get away from the digital spectrum but on the other hand half the pedals out there are digital pedals just in stompbox form. I had looked at the mxr micro chorus or analog chorus and maybe the fulltone clyde deluxe or teese picture wah both very expensive.

thoughts??

J

  • From: New Castle, DE USA
  • Registered: 2011-01-03
  • Posts: 1,256

Re: low wattage amp advice

I have an AC15C1, and like it quite a lot.  Just as an FYI, Vox has added a two-speaker version to its lineup, the AC15C2:  http://www.voxamps.com/us/custom/ac15c2/

Terrance Shuman
New Castle, DE
  • Registered: 2011-08-24
  • Posts: 14

Re: low wattage amp advice

Coach305 wrote:

I have an AC15C1, and like it quite a lot.  Just as an FYI, Vox has added a two-speaker version to its lineup, the AC15C2:  http://www.voxamps.com/us/custom/ac15c2/


cool, i already bought the amp though a mesa boogie ta-30, i was moving on to effects in the post. maybe i should start a new one instead of a continuation?

  • From: NH - USA
  • Registered: 2010-11-08
  • Posts: 149

Re: low wattage amp advice

Received my Reeves Custom 10 HG yesterday and first impression is that it's built like a tank and sounds amazing... more gain on tap that i need and really lets the character of the guitar come through...

havoc41's Website

  • Registered: 2011-08-24
  • Posts: 14

Re: low wattage amp advice

havoc41 wrote:

Received my Reeves Custom 10 HG yesterday and first impression is that it's built like a tank and sounds amazing... more gain on tap that i need and really lets the character of the guitar come through...


sweet I bet that reeves is something else!

  • From: Southampton, UK
  • Registered: 2011-09-06
  • Posts: 231

Re: low wattage amp advice

I started a post recently about a similar subject.

I use a Fender Blues Deville with a Tom Shulze Power Soak adjusted so I can have the drive and master set to about 1/2 full setting.  This means I get a great clean sound and a little extra crunch from the drive channel without obscenely high volume for most venues I play.  I then use a Fulltone Fulldrive 2 mosfet OD for extra creamy oomph.  I have to say I get a good number of compliments on my tone when using both the Strat and the LP with this rig.  It'll get even better when I get to add my JB Fuzzface!  big_smile

Gibson LP '89 Custom * Gibson LP '04 Classic * Gibson JB LP Studio * Fender 50th Ann. Deluxe Strat * Gibson Explorer Pro * Epiphone Korina SG * Michael Kelly Patriot Premium * Ibanez 105NT Artcore Custom * Takamine acoustics * Fender Blues Deville 4x10" * Marshall DSL100 and DSL50 * Marshall 1960A * Laney LH55 * Bugera V55HD * Bugera 212VT * Marshall 1912 * Roland Cube 60

Coolaxeman's Website

  • Registered: 2011-08-24
  • Posts: 14

Re: low wattage amp advice

Coolaxeman wrote:

Tom Shulze Power Soak


i would like to stay away from attenuater but..... it might be something i'll end up needing

  • mbcl
  • BONAMETAL
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2008-05-01
  • Posts: 1,491

Re: low wattage amp advice

I am nom player wouldn't a plexi shield help? Means you can play at a decent volume, without flattening your audience. The band I manage use them to great effect.


JB1973 wrote:
Coolaxeman wrote:

Tom Shulze Power Soak


i would like to stay away from attenuater but..... it might be something i'll end up needing

Martin
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