Author Topic: new amp time (Read 7073 times)

matteo · « **on:** March 18, 2007, 01:08:13 PM »

im on the lookout for a new amp. i only play in my bedroom so its not got to be big. does anyone have any views on the new peavey royal 8 5w valve amp? i think its to take on the epi junior. im not to bothered bout if its not a valve amp though its just got to be good for clean, and vintage blues rock (acdc, gnroses etc) and occasional modern(satch). i like the crunch on peavey bandits but way too big. im not into too many pedals so it would be nice to have a few channels.

i play a yamaha rgx420dz with vh2s if it helps?

maybe a marshall valvestate? its got to be good quality at low lowish levels and very good at loud levels when i do crank it up!

does such an amp exist. i got £250 to go on it maybe £300 at a stretch. it doest have to be new i would consider second hand

any advice welcome!

dave_mc · « **Reply #1 on:** March 18, 2007, 04:08:04 PM »

problem with a lot of the cheaper low wattage amps is that a lot of them are geared towards vintage tones- epi VJ, laney vc etc will all do the classic rock thing, not too sure about modern.

If you can wait a while, the peavey windsor combo might be worth a look- if it's anything like the head version, it'll do classic and modern rock. Though, cleans aren't too great.

BloodMountain · « **Reply #2 on:** March 18, 2007, 05:02:30 PM »

Quote from: dave_mc

problem with a lot of the cheaper low wattage amps is that a lot of them are geared towards vintage tones- epi VJ, laney vc etc will all do the classic rock thing, not too sure about modern.

If you can wait a while, the peavey windsor combo might be worth a look- if it's anything like the head version, it'll do classic and modern rock. Though, cleans aren't too great.

i think there are equally as many modern sounding ones...... Laney LX and LV series, marshall AVT, Behringer GM series, and isn't there a new Peavey Valveking small-ish combo out?

dave_mc · « **Reply #3 on:** March 18, 2007, 05:51:19 PM »

^ ah, i meant all tube, lol.

:drink:

BloodMountain · « **Reply #4 on:** March 18, 2007, 06:06:47 PM »

Quote from: dave_mc

^ ah, i meant all tube, lol.

:drink:

oh i see. well, that is kind of true, yes. erm, perhaps the Laney LC series?

anyway, didn't he say mostly for clean and vintage blues rock and only occasional modern?

matteo · « **Reply #5 on:** March 18, 2007, 07:54:54 PM »

thanx guys. yeah mostly blues rock and occasional modern, but if it comes to it i could get a pedal for the more modern tone. its basically got to be pretty verstile as im still experimenting with different tones and different playing styles and music etc. i want something that will bring through the natural tone of the guitar and pickups and not hum like a b****! as i said im not too keen on loads of effects. but to be honest i think i might be asking too much. the peavey mini colossal looks ideal but its a bit on the expensive side at £450!! my teachers got a bandit which is awesome on clean and crunch at low levels but when you crank it up it gets a bit mushy it would be ideal but its far too big.

bear im mind it doesnt have to be all valve.

i will check out the laney. :D

thanx

dave_mc · « **Reply #6 on:** March 18, 2007, 08:15:20 PM »

i'd check out the laney vc15 too... epi valve junior is pretty good for cleans (jazzy) and classic rock, but it'd need some stern persuasion to do the modern stuff.

windsor is worth a look, as i said, but it might be a while till it's out, and the cleans will suffer. though, assuming it's like the head, it'll do the satch stuff better.

orange tiny terror might be worth a look, but I haven't tried it.

best bet, as always, is to try everything you can.

BloodMountain · « **Reply #7 on:** March 18, 2007, 09:13:06 PM »

Quote from: dave_mc

best bet, as always, is to try everything you can.

+1

i'm going to try out as much as possible asap........ i'm looking for a new amp too, but for metal :twisted:

matteo · « **Reply #8 on:** March 19, 2007, 09:10:49 PM »

the orange tiny terror seems cool!! i like the idea of simple controls and minimum circuitry as it would just give the guitars natural tone?? but the price and then a cab ontop is a bit expensive. like the 7w switch though!!

i think the laney may be a bit too loud? 15w would still be pretty loud for bedroom levels? i was thinking 5w valve max for low levels.

i get the impression that valve amps sound best when they are cranked up? thats what they are designed for? or am i being nieve as ive never played one before. it would be like having a ferrari and not getting out of first gear? just wonder if i would be beat off with a solid state for lower levels.

thanx :P

BloodMountain · « **Reply #9 on:** March 19, 2007, 10:30:26 PM »

Quote from: matteo

the orange tiny terror seems cool!! i like the idea of simple controls and minimum circuitry as it would just give the guitars natural tone?? but the price and then a cab ontop is a bit expensive. like the 7w switch though!!

i think the laney may be a bit too loud? 15w would still be pretty loud for bedroom levels? i was thinking 5w valve max for low levels.

i get the impression that valve amps sound best when they are cranked up? thats what they are designed for? or am i being nieve as ive never played one before. it would be like having a ferrari and not getting out of first gear? just wonder if i would be beat off with a solid state for lower levels.

thanx :P

i love the features of the TT too, so simple!

my practice amp (SS) is 15w and i keep it on 3 for practice.
5w valve sounds good indeed. Epiphone Valve Junior perhaps?

and yes, valve amps do sound better cranked, as this increases the output going through the tubes, giving it a better sound (i think!)
i've never had one before either, but i have picked up this knowledge as i go along (hence the 700 posts!). you don't have to crank it though. it'll still sound good at low volumes, just not outstanding. either 15w SS or 5w valve should be fine.

dave_mc · « **Reply #10 on:** March 19, 2007, 11:11:30 PM »

valves sounds better cranked, the power tubes start to overdrive etc. Basically, it sounds awesome. I'd say they still sound better than most solid states even at lower volumes (but your mileage may vary), but it's true that they do sound best cranked.

Even 5 watts is pretty loud for bedroom... you can turn it down, but it won't sound just as good. if you are playing in your bedroom, make sure it has a master volume/gain control, so you can get overdrive at lower levels (the tiny terror has, the valve junior doesn't).

Kilby · « **Reply #11 on:** March 20, 2007, 10:08:46 AM »

A couple of thoughts,

Name a few examples of tones that you would want to get from the amp.

Firstly you will not get a lot of clean headroom, so to get modern tones (at any sort of volume) you may have to be be using a pedal on an already dirty amp. Some amp / pedal combinations sound good like this some don't (and prefer a clean amp)

As previously said most of the small amps go for vintage tones some of them are :

Matamp Minimat (7 watt I think)
Epi Valve Jr (5 Watt)
Fender Champ 600 (5 watt) Supposed to be about 120 pounds on release
Z-Vex Nano Head (0.7 watt)
Ampmaker SE-5A (5 watt)
Orange Tiny Terror (14 & 7 watt as I remember)

Even the Nanohead @ 0.7 watts is a bit too lout to run at full volume for bedroom practice in my circumstances (though that was through a marshall 4x12 heheh)

If I was looking for a 5 watter I would personally look at the Minimat (it has an attenuator built in)

You could also go for a 15 watter and fit an L-Pad attenuator from ampmaker http://www.ampmaker.com/index.asp (once he gets his house move over with) which costs about 7 pounds.

Rob...

ToneMonkey · « **Reply #12 on:** March 20, 2007, 10:25:03 AM »

I've got a Vox AD30VT for thrashing about at home. Not a valve amp (got a valve though :D ), but I think it's been absolutely awesome at home. I can go from a Vox AC30 straight to a Mesa distortion monster. Also got some really nice fender models.

The best thing though is the pot on the back where you can lower the wattage to as low as 0.5W so the valve stays cranked.

I'd certainly give one of these a bash when you're looking. Got some effects built in too, so no need to buy pedals (which you're not keen on).

Kilby · « **Reply #13 on:** March 20, 2007, 10:41:04 AM »

I assumed from the way the discussion was going that things where leaning towards a valve amp.

For modelling amps, to me the best one is indeed the Vox (totally outclasses the Line 6 family from personal experience).

The Marshall AVT is allright (I have the Valvestate 2000 version) but the Vox is a much better bet.

Rob...

ToneMonkey · « **Reply #14 on:** March 20, 2007, 10:58:01 AM »

Yeah, to be honest I'm really not too good with amps. In fact, unless it's made of wood, I'm fairly useless.

To my ear, there is very little difference between the Vox and the actual amps that they model (not that I've heard anywhere near the modeled amps). For bedroom playing at fairy low levels, I really doubt if there would be any noticable difference to me. But that is "to me", there are plenty of people with a better ear than me.