120W valve at bedroom levels

[math2014]

For example...

Laney VH100R (more features than GH50L)
H&K Duotone 100W (more features than the Puretone 50w)
Orange Rockverb 50W (more features than the Rocker 30)
THD Flexi 50 (more than the Univalve)
Rivera KHR55...

So basically featurewise i love the VH100R and the Duotone... but powerwise?

if you want the features, you have to go for the more powerful amp, and then try to find a way round it, like an attenuator.

FWIW, the laney vh100r has plenty of pre-amp gain to be played at bedroom levels, IMO. Of course, it'd sound better cranked.

Alternatively, look into an amp with a half-power, or pentode/triode operation. What's your budget, and what tones are you after?

I already have a THD hotplate 8ohm, so basically any amp that will work well with the Hotplate at high attenuation, will work for me. But basically i need a very good MV and an amp design that doesnt require the power section at full tilt in order to work well.

For example, the Rivera KHR55 has 1/2 power, pentode/triode, but it is unavailable in the UK, but can be had in Europe for 1350GBP.

The THD Flexi 50, has a 50-20W thingy going on, but i ll struggle to find it for 1100GBP.

Aiken amps dont exist here...

Laney which sounds like a good call,... has the GH50L/VH100R but i dont know the quality of the MV in these amps and how well they would behave with a Hotplate. Same with Oranger Rockverb series or H&K Duotone .

In short, it is quite impossible for me to try these amps WITH my hotplate hence i  am looking for advice (probably i ll post a thread when the time comes).

The tones i am looking for are classic 60s and 70s hard rock mainly. Bias towards Zeppelin, Sabbath, Who, Iron Butterfly, Cream, Jethro Tull and for modern stuff, GnR and Tool.

[Bainzy]

Sounds like you want a Marshall  8)

[sambo]

or an engl....

[dave_mc]

in my experience (i.e. i tried them in the shops at low volumes) both the laney and orange rockerverb worked very well at low volumes.

Engl would be awesome too. I have one (savage se), and as far as i'm concerned, i don't even need an attenuator. It's 100/120w (unsure, it says one on the back, and the other in the manual, lol) half stack, in my parents' family room (they're cool, lol).

[sambo]

ok so i know nothing about amps but isnt the engl slightly more gainy than the others? therefore it breaks up quicker and therefore = slightly better at lower volumes?????

[dave_mc]

you haven't tried a high gain amp until you've tried a powerball, se, or to a slightly lesser extent (but still heavy as hell) the savage or screamer.

[math2014]

So basically...

For Engl heads and for Laney heads i shouldnt really care about wattage since they deliver at low volumes as well?

[sambo]

i think so.... but maybe engl's a bit more than laneys

[math2014]

i think so.... but maybe engl's a bit more than laneys

But arent Engls too metal oriented when i want to play blues and hard rock?

[sambo]

yer true..... the laneys may be better for your styles.... but in general, (i THINK) the engls will sound marginally better at low volumes because of the more gain on offer....

on the laney site it tells you which amps are for which styles specifically and the TT's are their recommendations for blues and stuff.... if you havent checked it out (the laney site) the little cheesey 'ampicons' or something are actually quite helpful...

[_tom_]

yer true..... the laneys may be better for your styles.... but in general, (i THINK) the engls will sound marginally better at low volumes because of the more gain on offer....

on the laney site it tells you which amps are for which styles specifically and the TT's are their recommendations for blues and stuff.... if you havent checked it out (the laney site) the little cheesey 'ampicons' or something are actually quite helpful...

You could probably just use a booster pedal to get that extra gain at low volumes. I've never played a laney though..

[dave_mc]

So basically...

For Engl heads and for Laney heads i shouldnt really care about wattage since they deliver at low volumes as well?

Kind of.

But cranking them sounds even better, so it's not as simple as that.

What's your budget, and what exact tones do you want? It's true, a lot of the engls are very metal voiced (powerball!), but some are a lot more versatile (savage se/savage!)

EDIT: screw this, here's my d music site: http://davemc.dmusic.com

Most of that is hard rock or lighter, and i'm using a savage se.

You pretty much don't need a booster for an engl (bar classic tube and maybe thunder models), unless you want to set up a rhythm tone and then use an od for mid boost or something, tom- it's that power tube distortion sounds different than pre-amp distortion. A classic rock tone sounds much more authoritative with the poweramp working hard.

Unfortunately, that level of volume has been known to knock ornaments of the toilet which is next door to the room my amp is in...

 :twisted:

[math2014]

So basically...

For Engl heads and for Laney heads i shouldnt really care about wattage since they deliver at low volumes as well?

Kind of.

But cranking them sounds even better, so it's not as simple as that.

What's your budget, and what exact tones do you want? It's true, a lot of the engls are very metal voiced (powerball!), but some are a lot more versatile (savage se/savage!)

1000GBP budget max.

Tones: Led Zeppelin, Sabbath, Cream, GnR, Jethro Tull, Hendrix, etc etc...

I am seriously considering the Orange Rocker 30, THD Flexi 50, Laney GH50L...

I have heard from some people that the Orange 30 will do very well at low volumes , even better with the hotplate and that the PCB and general construction is top notch.

[dave_mc]

well, i tried the orange rockerverb 50 2x12, and it sounded great at low volumes. Only 2 channel though (that may be enough for you, lol, i'm a control freak).

For under £1000, for a range of tones, the engl to look at is the screamer, IMO. you need to try it, though, it might not do what you want.

I think you should try to get a go on a laney tt too, i really liked it when i tried it.

EDIT: i just read those tones, lol. I probably wouldn't go engl for them, but still see if you can try one. A blackmore might be worth a try too, but i haven't tried it, unfortunately.

I also haven't tried the flexi, but i hear great things.

What about a marshall?

[math2014]

i tried a rockerverb 50 combo...

It was the best low volume tone i ve ever heard with or without a Hotplate... period.