Low wattage amps

[_tom_]

Coming to terms with the fact I probably don't need 50w of valve power any more.. finding it impossible to get into a stable band/gigging situation and my Laney is just too loud for normal playing without annoying the neighbours, and it doesn't sound great at low volume. Have tried modelling like amplitube 3 which is ok but not satisfying and it doesn't feel like playing through a real amp.

I'll keep the Laney just in case but I really fancy trying a lower watt (5w and under) for my normal playing. Can be either a head or a combo as I have a 2x12 to play through. I like my amps british tone in general but itd be nice to have something not as fizzy or bright with more of the upper mid marshally bark. Budget is fairly low under or around £300. Any suggestions? The marshall 1w series look nice but pricey.

I'm most interested by the Bugera G5 Infinium at the minute. Seems to have loads of good features including the attenuator and gets good reviews. My only concern is that I had a Blackstar HT5 before and sold it as I didn't like how it felt, didn't interact with guitar volume adjustments too well. This seems to be basically a clone of the HT5. Anyone tried it?

Edit- to clarify the kinda tone I go for is kinda the classic hot rodded marshall sound but a bit higher gain and more modern rather than proper vintage crunch.

[Toe-Knee]

It's a shame your budget is what it is.

The Ceriatone Son Of Yeti fits your description perfectly 20w mind you but its 6v6 so it doesn't sound boxy like most low wattage amps.

$675 for a fully built amp. And if it's similar to the 50w yeti it sounds phenomenal at any volume.

[_tom_]

Not sure if 20w will still be too loud? The HT5 I had was loud enough to just about keep up with a heavy handed drummer. I've seen the marshall haze 15 that seems interesting as well.

[Toe-Knee]

Not sure if 20w will still be too loud? The HT5 I had was loud enough to just about keep up with a heavy handed drummer. I've seen the marshall haze 15 that seems interesting as well.

The 50w can get great tones at whisper volumes so I doubt you would have any issues.

Take a look at namm iirc there was quite a few mini heads. Even a silver jubilee.  No idea on pricing or wattage though.

[Dave Sloven]

Yeah there are quite a few of these mini heads coming out of China these days.  Peavey has a version of the Classic that has some good features and can go as quiet as you like

[_tom_]

Cool I'll check it out :) I'm gonna try and find somewhere to play the Laney Cub head as well. From the YouTube clips I've seen it sounds pretty similar to the GH but in a smaller package with a bit less gain.

[Dave Sloven]

The Classic 20MH seems cheap enough on ebay until you realize that they are all US models.  The UK model seems to be twice as expensive

[Plenum n Heather]

Have you considered keeping your Laney and just getting something like a Hot Plate? Although the amp will not sound its best being fully attenuated, you can set it for Load and feed the line out into your interface; then just add an IR for speaker emulation and you are good to go for home jamming/writing.

Almost all of my at-home playing these days is done going DI into my interface with an amp sim; I then strip off the amp sims later and reamp through a conventional mic/speaker setup with an iso cab ... but I can totally understand about not wanting to disturb neighbours, living in an NYC apartment building which is why I have a mess of blankets I wrap around the iso cab, as well as place it on a double isolation platform of Auralex GRAMMA and Black Diamond Racing shelf.

[_tom_]

I'm pretty sure I tried a hotplate a few years ago and wasn't happy with the attenuated tone but running it as you are could be an option. What software do you use for the IR/cab emulator?

[dave_mc]

you probably know this already but just watch that a lower wattage amp actually exists which will do the tones you want, and which will actually sound good at the low volumes you want. I have 5 watters and they're still too loud if I want to crank them, yet often don't sound as good at super-low volumes as my higher-wattage amps, either.

[gwEm]

Have you considered keeping your Laney and just getting something like a Hot Plate? Although the amp will not sound its best being fully attenuated, you can set it for Load and feed the line out into your interface; then just add an IR for speaker emulation and you are good to go for home jamming/writing.

This is a great idea. I recently moved to a similar setup with an attenuator and wish I had done so a while ago.

However, I remember from the distant past that you have a Weber MiniMass Tom?
edit: I've just seen this was discussed on the thread in between. I use a Palmer Bonamassa speaker simulator myself, and theres also the PDI-9 Junction. Not tried software as yet.

Another possibility would be a Marshall Class 5 with a couple of mods thrown at it, mainly master volume I'm thinking.

[Brow]

Have you looked into the Marshall Slash combos? I've seen those around for about 300quid.

[_tom_]

Yeah I had a mini mass for my fender, I definitely tried a hot plate but can't remember if it was with the fender or the Laney!

I'd seen the SL5 a while back and thought it sounded good on a demo video! Might try and find somewhere to play one, or just take a punt if I find one for sale at a decent price. Is the DSL5C much different other than output valve? Much cheaper at any rate! It has a 10" speaker which could be a concern but has fx loop and still has the 1w switch.

[gwEm]

the 10" speaker will be fine if its a good quality one, I had a celestion vintage 10 in a combo once. Having said that, I wouldn't want to go any smaller than that.

[Plenum n Heather]

I'm pretty sure I tried a hotplate a few years ago and wasn't happy with the attenuated tone but running it as you are could be an option. What software do you use for the IR/cab emulator?

I like the IRs from Torpedo.
I use Wall Of Sound III, which is FREE, and additional IRs are very reasonably  priced.