Generic tube amp suitable for bedroom question.

[Sanguinex]

Hey

At the minute I've got a Marshall Valvestate VS 100 combo and a couple of cheap practice amps. It feels like the Marshall is completely wasted as in my house I can never turn the volume above 3 even with the power soak button. Also i play in a symphonic metal band and a black metal band so the amp doesn't quite give me what i'm after anyway.

I was hoping to get some advice on a smaller tube amp that i could crank while still keeping it at relatively neighbour friendly levels.

Also I've never really looked at the 2nd hand amp market before, how much would i realistically get for a 100w Marshall combo amp?

Cheers for any help

[tekbow]

Second hand a valvestate won't go for so much, check ebay to get an idea.

Even a 4w amp is loud at bedroom levels (depends whether you're in a flat or semi or detached though)

Guess you're looking for gain? orange tiny terror tends to be the flavour for that round here, not my taste but plenty of high gain guys love em.

I think cornford do some lower wattage high gain amps for decent prices (they have a PCB based range rather than their usually P2P wiring) that are excellent, whether they'd be the sound you're looking for though, am not sure.

Marshall also have their anniversary 5w amps.

[Stevepage]

I think the Laney ironheart studio or irt15 might suit you. Im considering it myself

[Sanguinex]

Yeah i essentially want a high gain amp that i can crank in my room without too much hassle, noise complaints detract from practice time.  I've been looking at the ironheart series but i'd rather get a combo if possible as i don't have a speaker cab at the moment. What size speakers would be needed to accomodate a 15w head

[Dmoney]

Do you just want an amp for practice or do you want to use it with the band also?

[tekbow]

you know, maybe this is worth mentioning, yes there is a point at which an amps power section will open up, but modern high gain amps rely on preamp distortion. for what you're talking about, i don't know how much you;ll be benefiting from having something to crank.

[Sanguinex]

At the minute we either use the amps in the rehearsal rooms, and for the foreseeable future any gigs i play in pub venues i'd just be using the amps already there.

Although if it's going to cost me £300 for a 15w laney then i may as well go and just buy something like a 2nd hand 6505

[HTH AMPS]

If its for home use, forget about valve amps - go with Fractal or some similar route like a good preamp into a solid state power amp like the ISP Stealth.

Even iRig or something along those line will give you plenty of mileage for home use.

[HTH AMPS]

At the minute we either use the amps in the rehearsal rooms, and for the foreseeable future any gigs i play in pub venues i'd just be using the amps already there.

Although if it's going to cost me £300 for a 15w laney then i may as well go and just buy something like a 2nd hand 6505

Ahh, so you're gigging - a 2nd hand 6505 would be a great decision.  Even the Bugera copy is apparently much better these days since they worked out the 'glitch' of them catching fire, ha ha.

[dave_mc]

you know, maybe this is worth mentioning, yes there is a point at which an amps power section will open up, but modern high gain amps rely on preamp distortion. for what you're talking about, i don't know how much you;ll be benefiting from having something to crank.

agreed.

and those lower wattage amps don't really hit the sweetspot at bedroom levels anyway, unless you don't share any walls with neighbours (and even then your own ears, if you're anything like me, will limit how loud you can turn it up). plus normally aren't aimed at modern metal tones.

If its for home use, forget about valve amps

I disagree, but it does depend on what exactly "home use" means, and the tones you're after. If you're in an apartment or something like that then valve probably isn't the way to go. if you live in a detached house and are after tones which are more in the preamp anyway, I think valve is fine. Obviously personal preference plays a large part, too.

[juansolo]

A genuinely low wattage tube amp will still be loud enough to hear next door when you push it enough to crunch up for metal. I've got a 6V6 MJW Goldstar that's a perfect low vol amp that you can talk over even when it's cranked. But if I get it cooking with an OD, the neighbours can still hear it and we're detatched...

A low wattage hybrid like a Blackstar HT-5. That can make some high gain noises at low volumes. For the money though there's not much to touch it, but it can't roll sonically with a good valve amp (which will inevitably cost more).

The last option is a clean amp and get the distortion with pedals. This is probably the best option as you can still have it as a giggable amp if needs be.

[Dave Sloven]

I use my Peavey at home but I am living on a biggish house on a biggish block with plenty of separation between me and the neighbours.  If you don't have that forget about practicing with the Peavey at home.  Most of the time I don't turn mine up past one on the dial if anyone's home here and pretty much never past two if they are not, just because I don't want to annoy the neighbours.

Probably the best tube combo for home use is the Laney Iommi practice amp, but it's not that cheap.  You can use a 1W option and headphones if you need to.

[tekbow]

At the minute we either use the amps in the rehearsal rooms, and for the foreseeable future any gigs i play in pub venues i'd just be using the amps already there.

Although if it's going to cost me £300 for a 15w laney then i may as well go and just buy something like a 2nd hand 6505

whats your thinking here? more watts doesn't = better. 15W would be plenty loud for most (if not all pub gigs).  plus its got a 1w option and a speaker emulated DI out, so if you're going into a soundboard you don't even need to worry about a speaker cabinet. the 5150 (sorry, will never call it a 6505 because i was around when they first came out lol) is an industry standard, but it's LOUD, and the Ironheart seems way more appropriate for your needs as you#re describing them. Plus.. i suspect the reliability/build on the Ironheart may well be better. 5150's used to be tanks, but i don't feel they're as sturdily put together (QC isn't as good perhaps?) since they moved production out of the US. Also, think about portability. If it's a 5150 (6505) combo you're thinking about, well.. have you ever picked up one of those things?? even the head weighs a ton.

[Dave Sloven]

As far as I know Peavey still make all the 6505 series (except for the 6505+ 112 combo) and Classic series amps in the USA.  My 6534+ certainly was made there.  Maybe you are thinking of the EVH 5150 III?  Fender makes them in Mexico.

Cheap lines of Peavey are made in China, just like cheap Laneys.  As far as I know only a few Laneys are made in the UK, namely the Lionheart (those pretty blue tweed Class A things) and the Iommi signature stuff.

I can confirm that the Peavey 6065 series heads weigh a lot.  I think my 6534+ might be the heaviest of the lot with its EL34 power section.

[tekbow]

nope, I'd been thinking of the 1x12, but only because the OP had mentioned a combo. My brain somehow extended that to the rest of the line though  :?

my thinking on the QC is maybe not something that people will agree with but.. here it is.

Just that basically in my own experience, in various industries (automotive, electronics etc) when a line has been consistently made for a long time QC "can" (not always) get slack, unless there's a major issue when everybodys ears prick up and they start paying closer attention again. The newer the line, the more a company is trying to make an impression on the market and the tighter control is.

That and I've just never felt the 6505's were as well made as the 5150's.. Don't ask me why, just an intangible feeling i have and is probably wrong. I would always recommend people buying an original 5150 anyways, they can be had cheap.

are the GH100/50L and VH100's still made in the UK?