Help me choose an amp?

[Fikealox]

Hi guys,

I've decided to sell my Axe FX and simplify my rig, so I'm looking for a good tube combo. Unfortunately, while I know what I want in an amp, there're just so many choices, so I'm asking everyone I can find for help. Basically, I want something <30W, relatively compact, with great warm, complex cleans, which takes pedals well, and which has enough gain to achieve "edge-of-breakup" tones so I can get cleans by rolling off the volume or get an overdriven edge by digging my pick in. I'm happy to use a pedal to get fully overdriven lead tones, so I don't need heaps of gain. Decent reverb and/or an effects loop would be a plus, but it's not a big deal.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions, recommendations, or cautions you might have.

[edit: sorry if you see this on more than one forum, I just want to get as many opinions as possible]

[Dmoney]

I'd see if you can find a Jet City Combo.
http://www.jetcityamplification.com/amplifiers/combos/

JCA 112RC is £350 from Thomann. 20 Watts. based on a soldano Atomic 16.
Will probably do what you mentioned. you could get the weight down by replacing the speaker with a neodymium speaker.

They look a bit weird, i guess, but for the money they seem really good. There are a lot of good reports and hype around the jet city stuff. I was just reading a forum where one guy had been going on about all the Bugera amps and then the last post was basically the dude saying jet city sounds 1000x better than bugera and it's mega cheap and after loving Bugera he's now over that and backing Jet City.

could be worth checking out at least.



EDIT: downside is it only goes to 9. one quieter.

[badgermark]

Peavey Classic 30? I have an older American made one and it's a fab little amp. It does the clean until you dig in sound excellently.

[Twinfan]

An MJW Roadstar 36w combo with 6V6s would be perfect.

Depends how much you want to spend????

[Fikealox]

Thanks for your suggestions so far guys, there's a lot of food for thought there already. I'm not sure MJW or Jet City amps (awesome name) are available in Australia, but I'll have a hunt :) My budget is anywhere up to 1500 pounds, give or take. I'd prefer to spend less, obviously, if it's quality -- the remainder will go toward a new Suhr  :D

[cerpintaxt]

Wow! Those Jet City amps look great. Seems very familiar...Thinking "Blackheart" by Crate. Very similar format (12AX7, EL84). Cab design very similar with an Eminence speaker.

[Twinfan]

Ah - didn't realise you were in Oz!  Martin can still send you an MJW  ;)

Lots of choice at £1500.  Others I would consider if my mate didn't build amps are:

* Bogner Shiva or Duende combo
* Dr Z MAZ 38 or JAZ 20/40 combo

[hermetico]

Vox Night Train has everything you wanted except for the FX Loop and Reverb.
Reverb issue, isn't as soon as you put in front a Line6 Verbzilla pedal.

Highly dynamic, complex textured cleans, incredible nice british crunch. It cleans really well with guitar's volume roll off. Takes pedals really good and it's specially awesome with some clean boost/line driver to put the valves in their sweet spot and some additional colored booster to add some kind of gain channel.
Portable, small, beauty, simple design, versatile sounding.

Stock valves work nice except for extremely high gain settings.
Throw there a pair of EH 12AX7, or a Tung Sol in V1 and the fun multiplies.

The matched NT112 cab works well when playing alone or as the only guitarist. It's cheap, very light and portable.
If you need to better cut the mix in a band with other guitarist or in higher gain needs, use 2x12 cab.

My best score in 30 years, without any doubt.

[Dmoney]

Jet City stuff is made in china, but Jet City is an interesting company.

Fikealox, if you're in Australia, you could go with Devries Custom Guitars right?

[BigB]

Since nobody mentioned it so far, the hotrod deluxe is a pretty decent amp for the price (well, when you get it secondhand at least, but there's no shortage of secondhands HRDx), nice fenderish cleans (ok, a bit dark perhaps for a Fender), decent amount of gain that cleans well with the volume pot, usable reverb, primitive FX loop (preamp out->amp in, that is), takes pedals pretty well.

Now it's a bit over the 30W (LOUD 40Watter), so you'll have to either get an attenuator (weber minimass, not too expensive and seems to work well with this amp - a bit too soon to be 100% positive here but as far as I'm concerned so far so good) or replace the 6L6CG with JJ 6V6 (turning it into a 20watter). Also, the stock speaker is not great so you may want to replace it with something better (have a cheap Eminence Legend GB12/8 on mine, works fine, turns the amp into a mix of fenderish / early marshall).

Not a very fancy or hyped amp, and certainly not on par with MJW's production, but at least as good as a Peavy classic 30.

[swissguy]

If I were to buy an amp in that range right now, I'd go with the Crema Wheat from Tungsten Amps

Nice demo-clips provided on their site

[dave_mc]

are there any guys in australia making amps? i know from other forums that you guys get gipped on imported gear (even worse than we do here).

[tomjackson]

The Deluxe Reverb Reissue is a very nice amp and ticks nearly all the boxes.  It's non Master though so you'd have to crank it for it to break up but it certainly has complex cleans, lovely reverb and is not too heavy.  And by all accounts takes pedals well.

But for £1500 you are certainly in the combo buy of a lifetime category so Dr Z would definitely fit the bill, the Jaz 20/40 looks a great amp from the clips on yout.

[Roobubba]

Fikealox, if you're in Australia, you could go with Devries Custom Guitars right?

I'll bite!

"LOL"

Roo

[kevinr]

Hey you could also add to your list Ulbrick, Aussie amps that sound great and are well made.