Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Oli on July 24, 2012, 12:28:18 AM
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So i'm now in proper gear-consolidation mode, have got a bunch of things on eBay, and am having a proper cull (5 amps, really?!), to narrow it down to some choice pieces. And i'm after a low power amp again, especially as there may be an international relocation on the cards, so i'd like something a little more sensible!
About a year ago I tried out the Matamp MiniVerb, at this has really set the benchmark for me, it really is a fantastic sounding amp, but it has gone up in price to above £500, so i'm wondering what else is out there. My general requirements are:
Great sounding clean
A little overdrive, but not a full bore gain-fest
Reverb
Around 5W, could be less, but must be less than 10W really, anything louder just won't get used I don't think
Probably a 6V6, but that's not set in stone
I would prefer a head format
If it doesn't have reverb, then it'd be a bonus if it had an FX loop, but I could live without either for the right amp!
Not really sure about budget-- it's less of an issue since I got a tax rebate, and i'm hoping my ebay sales will generate enough that i'll be able to afford something if it catches my eye.
Suggestions on a postcard, please chaps!
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If you really like the Matamp, why not pay the extra?
As Henry Royce once said, the quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.
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If you really like the Matamp, why not pay the extra?
As Henry Royce once said, the quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.
Well if he didn't say that, not many people would buy his car!
Anyway, like in my previous post, the new Marshall 1W heads and combos are spectacular, I'd definitely check those out. They have a lot more power to them than you'd think, and they sound great and have some cool features. If you feel like that won't be enough for you, I tried the Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister 18 today, and it kicked ass. Can change from 1W to 5W and if you're feeling extra crazy, 18W. 2 Channel, FX Loop, killer head.
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There's a Cornell Romany Plus for sale in Seconds Out for about £600. I have one and love it. Switchable from 10W down to 0.125W and it has a spring reverb built in. It is a combo though.
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Hmmm, I might be selling an MJW Bantam head soon. Not getting much use and to be honest I'd like to get back into Fender amps.
PM sent!
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Hiya, it's my cornell - msg me if you are interested. If you are near Brum, you are more than welcome to try it out.
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I quite often see Laney Cub amps in music stores. They've always sounded pretty good to me. I've always thought I'd get one of those, if I wanted a low-power amp.
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I have a Laney Cub ( as mentioned by gwEm above)- thoroughly recommended. Mine is 10w and has a great tone and is extremely portable. Those new Fender amps are supposedly pretty good ( a friend of mine is raving about them to me and he is a fusspot). I've not tried one however.
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Do you mean the Greta and Excelsior?
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There are almost too many little amps to choose from now. 10 years ago they were virtually non-existent!
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Do you mean the Greta and Excelsior?
Yes, thanks- memory lapse. It is the Excelsior that my mate has- in fact he bought a second one to modify for fun- or so he tells me.
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My general requirements are:
Great sounding clean
A little overdrive, but not a full bore gain-fest
Reverb
Around 5W, could be less, but must be less than 10W really, anything louder just won't get used I don't think
Probably a 6V6, but that's not set in stone
I would prefer a head format
If it doesn't have reverb, then it'd be a bonus if it had an FX loop, but I could live without either for the right amp!
You just described my amp!
I had a similarly specific list and spoke to Martin about it, he came up with a 5w 6V6 Fenderish (clean) voiced Goldstar. I wanted it with no boost switching to keep it as pure as poss, so it's more like an older Goldstar than a new one. Very pedal friendly and has a solid state loop which is fantastic. I run a WET Reverb (still the best verb I've ever heard) in the loop.
I can't really rate this amp highly enough. Cranked with single coils it'll just about crunch up. With buckers it will more easily. But as I say, it really loves pedals so a nice OD on the front will get you into pre-tube distortion nirvana.
Even though I'm in the process of building a kit amp, it'll have to be mightily special to part me from this amp.
Pic of mine (#100) from Martins site:
(http://www.martamp.com/images/_gallery/Goldstar-Head2_L.jpg)
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FWIW Cleggy has the 10W EL34 model. That's very Marshall flavoured and has it's own charms. Indeed I have first refusal on it if he's ever daft enough to sell it. But it's a lot louder... Surprisingly so.
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Really happy with my Orange Dual Terror ...........at the moment anyway
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If you really like the Matamp, why not pay the extra?
As Henry Royce once said, the quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.
i agree about buying quality, but i disagree with that quote- maybe i just have a head for figures but I don't think i've forgotten the price of any guitar gear i've bought :lol: (certainly within the ballpark... like i might not remember something was exactly £429.37, say, but i remember it was "just over £400")
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If you really like the Matamp, why not pay the extra?
As Henry Royce once said, the quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.
i agree about buying quality, but i disagree with that quote- maybe i just have a head for figures but I don't think i've forgotten the price of any guitar gear i've bought :lol: (certainly within the ballpark... like i might not remember something was exactly £429.37, say, but i remember it was "just over £400")
I didn't really give the Henry Royce quote much thought when I read it, but you're right, I remember pretty much what I paid for all my guitars (and how much I lost when I sold them! :lol: )
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New Orange15H sounds ferocious and the new Tubemeister 36 (still lunchbox-sized) has tons of features, two channels with boost on the drivechannel, sep. eq for both channels, reverb (digital) and powerscaling from 36, 18 to 5, 1 and 0 watt (silent recording).
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Blackstar HT-5R? Head model
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.... the new Tubemeister 36 (still lunchbox-sized) has tons of features, two channels with boost on the drivechannel, sep. eq for both channels, reverb (digital) and powerscaling from 36, 18 to 5, 1 and 0 watt (silent recording).
Those H&K models are all very appealing, but something about them - maybe it's just the look - suggests to me that they might be a bit "clinical". It's probably totally irrational.
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I'm with you Philly. All the clips I've heard of them did nothing for me.
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I've played a tubemeister 18. I wasn't THAT into it. It has some cool features but the higher gain sounds were kind of hollow and I didn't really like it all that much. I preferred the micro terror hybrid head, which for me still sounded like an Orange which was kind of cool!
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I didn't really give the Henry Royce quote much thought when I read it, but you're right, I remember pretty much what I paid for all my guitars (and how much I lost when I sold them! :lol: )
yeah :lol:
as i said, i completely agree with buying quality stuff, just i disagree with the quote. Apart from anything it sounds to me like an excuse to charge too much if you have to say that :lol:
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I didn't really give the Henry Royce quote much thought when I read it, but you're right, I remember pretty much what I paid for all my guitars (and how much I lost when I sold them! :lol: )
yeah :lol:
as i said, i completely agree with buying quality stuff, just i disagree with the quote. Apart from anything it sounds to me like an excuse to charge too much if you have to say that :lol:
:lol: you're being wa-ay too literal guys! (And that's usually me...) It doesn't mean the price itself, it means forgetting what it cost you to pay that price...
Anyway, I'd say check out Laney CUBs as well. If you want 6v6, it's the CUB10 that 38th's got. I tried one when I bought my CUB12R, and the 10 was a gorgeous beast. (I just felt that the 12 was more versatile for me).
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I still like the sound of what (I think) were two of the earliest small, power-scaling amps, the Suhr Badger and Fargen Mini Plex.
Both very expensive, though, and loads of other manufacturers, boutique and mainstream, have entered the small amps market in recent years.
I really wouldn't have a clue what to get now without actually trying them, and I hate trying amps in shops!
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I think the 50th anniversary Marshall JVM mini amp will be worth waiting for. That one is a loaded mini and will still sound like a Marshall, I am 90% sure it will kick ass.
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The Blackstar HT-20 head is really versatile and does everything at least somewhat well, but it really shines in metal like you'd expect. Don't think it's a one trick pony haha. The 5w head isn't bad either but not really close to the 20w.
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Thanks for all the input, guys! Going to have to take to YouTube and keep an eye out in guitar shops, too. Thanks to the guys who PM'd me too, i'll try and reply to you shortly :)
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.... the new Tubemeister 36 (still lunchbox-sized) has tons of features, two channels with boost on the drivechannel, sep. eq for both channels, reverb (digital) and powerscaling from 36, 18 to 5, 1 and 0 watt (silent recording).
Those H&K models are all very appealing, but something about them - maybe it's just the look - suggests to me that they might be a bit "clinical". It's probably totally irrational.
It does sound quite hifi compared to Orange.
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And I actually find the Oranges a little hifi as well.
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I've played a tubemeister 18. I wasn't THAT into it. It has some cool features but the higher gain sounds were kind of hollow and I didn't really like it all that much. I preferred the micro terror hybrid head, which for me still sounded like an Orange which was kind of cool!
Not played the 18, but the Headline rep brought a 36 in the other day and it was a great sounding thing to my ears. Too expensive for what it is, though.
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I think it's really down to Orange for most people; they have the full "Terror" line, which caters to any taste and fits into most people's budget. Great amps with very good value.
Other than that there are only the Mesa (which cost a lot more) and there's the new Carvin Legacy 3, which Guitarist loved. I have listened to the video they provided and it really sounds great, but I have the feel that it's not really a "low power amp".
But for me personally the only options that fit in my budget are the Orange Dark Terror or the Jim Root one.
One more thing:
Watts and Volume is a tricky thing. I got some really good tones from my 50Watt JCM900 combo at low volumes, simply because the master volume worked quite nice. On my 20Watt Krank Rev Jr I struggle with that much more. It does depend not just on the watts, but really quite a lot just how the pots work and how the amp reacts to that. I also always felt that the cab and the speakers can make quite a difference in volume.
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One more thing:
Watts and Volume is a tricky thing. (...). I also always felt that the cab and the speakers can make quite a difference in volume.
The speakers can make enough difference for a 30watters to be as loud or louder than a 100watters... doubling the power only gives you a 3db (10%) volume boost, and guitar speakers sensitivity (how much db they produce for 1W at 1m) range from (approximately) 94 to 105db.
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So I happened to find a 1st generation Matamp MiniMat for a pretty good price, so I snapped it up. I need to get myself a 1x12 cab, so once i've sorted that then i'll know whether it's a keeper. Need to sort out a few nice pedals now! Will build myself an overdrive and a fuzz and buy a couple of things like reverb and chorus, I think.
(sorry to people that i've not replied to in PM, I will do!)
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sweet :)
what speaker/cab are you getting?
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great thread! lots of ideas for a small amp... i'm looking for one now..
do you know one which has headphones output?